Ariel
by phoebesmiles
Summary: Shirley Fox, a naive and clumsy 14 year old, youngest member to enter the female-only group, Ariel. It turns out this guild is more than just about doing jobs for money; there's a lot of drama and ridiculous guild members involved, too. (First few chapters may seem very cluttered - sorry bout that! May re-rewrite in future)
1. Chapter 1

Written by phoebesmiles

A/N: This is a chain-up story with my good friend RaeyaK's 'Insecure'. Hope you enjoy reading!

I DO NOT OWN MAPLE STORY! NEXON DOES!

Chapter 1: Ariel

_Rewritten on the 29__th__ of January_

I hide behind one of the pillars, trying to catch my breath. I open my rucksack clumsily, to find only a Power Elixir and a Mana Elixir left. I'm screwed.

A blue Harp flies past me, and I literally feel like I'm going to die. I fling a steely at it, and the big, bluish bird falls to the ground, before disappearing into the shadows.

"Gawk!" I hear a shrill sound, and I know it's another Blood Harp coming at me. I swallow what's left of my Power Elixir, and ignore the slightly bitter aftertaste. I wipe my lips to my torn t-shirt sleeve, leaving nothing but a purple stain and a little blood on it.

The Blood Harp flies around the pillar, like it's taunting me. I throw a couple of steelies at it, but it manages to dodge. I look around, searching for something, anything, I could use, but the whole battle ground just seems blurry. Gripping on my very last potion, hoping for a miracle, I run towards the Blood Harp and stab it with my last steely. It shrieks before turning to dust. After that, everything goes black.

"Woah. You okay?" I open my eyes slightly, letting them readjust to the bright lights. I take a deep breath, and all I smell is the strong scent of turpentine. The guild. I glance around, and I'm in the medical room, with a tall blond dude with broad shoulders.

"D-Did I pass?" I stammer, trying to sit up.

"Hey. Better not, muppet." Luke, the only male member of the guild, tells me. I glare into his big blue eyes, trying not to hit him.

"Did. I. Pass?" I ask again, my voice stiffening. Luke smirks a little, and I rest my head back onto my pillow, grinning.

I'm in.

[-]

I walk down the long staircase, to the conference room. I push open the heavy wooden doors, and I see that the room is already full.

The conference room is big. Like, big _big_. It's made fully out of wood, so it feels toasty and warm inside. In the center of the room is a long marble table, with dozens of women seated on matching marble stools.

"Hey! It's her!"

"OMG, did you hear? She passed the entrance exam!"

"Lemme see, oooh, she's cute!"

I hear so many voices that my mind reels. Ariel claps her hands, loudly, and the whole room comes to silence.

"Welcome, Shirley." She smiles, and I instantly feel better.

Ariel, the legendary guild master. No one knows what her real name is, but she's the only female who's ever defeated the statue Ariel single-handedly, so she renamed herself in the guild's glory. She has long, blond hair, which curls gently where it meets her shoulders. Her skin is pale, and her cheeks rosy.

I take a seat at the end of the table, being careful not to put weight on my left leg.

"You okay, pet?" I hear a random guild member sitting next to me ask, her voice full of concern.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I force a smile. The truth is, I've been feeling all sore ever since the guild entrance test yesterday. It was total agony. Not to mention, the horrible cut along my left leg, which probably won't heal all that soon.

"Shirley, age 13. Welcome to the guild." Ariel says, during my official ceremony. Apparently only the best of the best get into this guild. "You're the youngest in here, so I wish you luck." She smiles, before handing me a pair of earrings. "Keep this close to you, yeah?" I nod, rolling it in my palm. Half earrings, dropped by Iruvata, one of the strongest non-boss monsters in existence.

"Thank you, so much." I say as I put the earrings on. My ears feel strangely heavy, cause I'm not used to wearing earrings around a lot. I feel older, somewhat more mature.

[-]

"This is your room. I hope it's to your liking." Hannah, the House advisor, tells me in the dorm. I thank her and turn the old fashioned door knob. The room is literally huge. I have my own bed, my own desk, a small shower with an included jacuzzi, cabinets, and a beautiful view of Leafre. Living on the outskirts of Leafre, in the guild Ariel, I think I might just die. I slip into the shower, and turn the hot water on. I run my hand down my left leg, and it still stings, quite a bit. I've asked one of the Bishops here if she could do anything, but she says it may take some time for it to heal, even with holy magic.

I close my eyes, and try to let the past 72 hours seep in. Suddenly, the water goes ice cold, and I shriek and run out of the shower. "Crap!"

Suddenly, I hear an announcement, right in the bathroom. I glance around and notice a little speaker in the corner. Creepy.

"Sorry, everyone! Hot water won't be working for a while. Layla caught a cold." I hear Hannah say, like she announces things like that every day. Layla...Why does her name sound so familiar? Oh, right. She was the one who asked me if I was okay last night. Layla the Fire/Poison Arch Mage. Who apparently heats the water. I towel dry myself with my fluffy towel and rummage my bag for my hair dryer. No conditioner for today, I guess.

I dress quickly, and leave my room. The foyer is full, as everyone is gathered at the message boards. "What's going on?" I ask to no one in particular.

"Everyone is looking for jobs today, cause Ariel will be promoting certain members to the higher class next week." A petite lady tells me, her medium length hair sashaying behind her. "I'm Naomi, by the way." She says, before walking away in the different direction.

Higher class? I make my way to the message boards, half empty now, and look for a job of my own. Pieces of paper stuck to an old message board with thumb tacks, some which are yellowing and torn at the edges. I spot one, the words "Hermits Wanted. Orbis Park. Reward: 5,000,000 mesos" inscribed on it. I look around, in case anyone else is interested in it, and tear it off from the message boards. 5 million mesos, enough to pay 5 months of rent for my room. Just what I need.

[-]

The creaky floorboards, the old cabinets, some with lost doors, the drape-less windows, the eerie dark corridors, the old but shiny plaques on the wall, the crystal doorknobs, the exquisite bar for Higher Class members (not that I can go, since I'm underage), the people, some weird, some fascinating, but all great mages. I walk down the hallway, with my rucksack filled to the brim with potions and throwing stars, ready to head off to Orbis.

"Shirley, going out on a mission?" I hear Naomi say to me as I enter the foyer. I nod, and she hands me a pink toned piece of paper.

"W-what's this?" I ask, gripping the paper in my hand tightly.

"Everyone has to fill in this before going out on missions. In case. . . ." She starts, in her high-pitched voice.

"I die?" The thought of it makes me shudder.

"In case you need your room cleaned, or your pets fed." Naomi finishes, and I exhale a long breath I didn't even know I was holding in.

"O-Okay. I'll fill it up for you." I force a smile, and grab a pen from my pocket.

_**Shirley**__, Age __**13**__,Room __**54**_

_Destination: __**Orbis Park, Ossyria**_

_Would you like the cleaners to clean your room while you're away? __**YES**_

_Do you have any pets you'd like to be fed? __**NO**_

_Expected Return: __**Not sure. Soon?**_

I hand the pink note back to her, and she nods before filing it into one of the cabinets behind her labeled "S". She wishes me good luck, and I thank her. I'm off.

[-]

I board the big blue bird, and get ready for flight. I take a seat on the very top, and the view is exquisite. I take out the piece of paper from yesterday out of my rucksack. Orbis Park….I haven't been there in years.

"Hello." I hear someone call out to me.

"Hye." I mumble back to him. He takes a seat next to me, and I feel my heart starting to pound. When did cute boys start to sit next to girls like me? He has dark hair, green eyes, and a mouth that looks so big you could shove a few tennis balls inside. He's cute, though. He gives me a weird look, and I blush.

"S-Sorry. I didn't mean to stare." I apologize quickly.

"No prob. I'm Griffin." He sticks a hand out at me, and I shake it. Griffin.

"Which guild are you from?" I ask him.

He chuckles a little and says "Scarlion."

The bird takes off, but I don't even notice. "I'm from Ariel. Nice to meet you." We talk, about monsters we've killed, funny stories about the guild, (Well, I didn't contribute that much, since it's just my second day.), and along the way I found out he was a Hermit, just like me.

Minutes past, and I feel Griffin's hand curl around mine. I feel hot, but I don't move my hand away. I like the feeling of it, actually. Time passes, quicker than I expected, and I get off the bird at Orbis Station. "Bye, Shirley. Nice to meet you." He says, saluting me off.

"We'll meet again, right?" I ask, my voice small. He nods, and leaves for Ludibrium Castle. A slight breeze comes, and ruffles my curly hair. And I'm all alone.

I walk along the shiny pathways, staring at my reflection as I go. The breeze is back, and I pull my coat tighter against my body. The air here is different from Leafre, where I spent most of my childhood. It's much more, lighter. I feel like I'm inhaling clouds, almost. I stop by a nearby weapon and armor store, cause I love browsing, picking out things I do and don't like. Window shopping, almost. It's a hobby of mine. I look at a couple of new Pireta hats, which came in just this morning according the shop owners, who appear to be fairies. They look awfully comfy, and I would love to buy a new hat to add to my collection. I glance into my wallet, and all I have is 30 thousand mesos. Damn.

The walk to Orbis Park from the station took me about 15 minutes. Or maybe it's because I got lost along the way. Either way, I grip the job recruit paper in my hand, looking around for the person who sent this. There isn't a name, so I guess I'll just have to look. I walk past a row of exotic looking plants, and pass a hair salon.

"Hey, you!" I hear a coarse voice shout from behind me.

I turn around, and an old lady dressed in a purple dress, her silver hair tied up into a bun, stares back at me.

"Uh…Hye, are you the one-" I start.

"Yes yes yes. You're a Hermit, am I right?" She cuts me off rudely. I nod, and before I get a chance to reply she walks off in a different direction.

"Hey!" I scream and run after her. For an old lady, she walks fast. "Wait up!" She's leading me. I don't know where to, but she surely wants to get there as soon as possible. She stops for a moment, and I notice that her feet aren't even touching the ground. She's l-levitating? Maybe she's a mage, too. Than what would she want with me?

"Tch. Kids these days walk at an incredibly slow pace." She complains, gesturing that I follow her into what seems to be a small floating house. I have to bend over slightly, cause the house seems to be designed for dwarfs.

"Sit." She says, pointing at an awfully small, pink chair. I sit down and kick my rucksack under the coffee table. I feel like Alice in the Rabbit's house when she ate that Upelkuchen.

"Tea?" She asks, opening the single window. I nod, and my head hits the ceiling. Ow!

Looking around, although the ceiling is low, the interior seems quite spacious. Amazingly, the pink house is filled with a small bed, a little kitchen, a table and three chairs. She pours me tea into a tiny teacup, and immediately I can smell the scent of lavender.

"So, how old are you?" she asks me.

"13. I'm turning 14 in a couple a months, though." I tell her, in between sips of tea. This is hella good tea, if you asked me.

She looks at me for a long moment, and says, "I want you to get something for me. It's an Angelic Betrayal dagger." She says. Angelic Betrayal, I've heard of it before. It only can be obtained in the depths of Aqua Road, the Zipangu parlor, and in Elin Forest.

"Now, in the market, these daggers only cost about 400 thousand. But, seeing that you're so young, I'm willing to pay you 3 million." She says, pouring more tea.

"Wait, in the job recruit paper you said that the reward was 5 milion." I say, reaching for the paper in my pocket.

"Pfft. Didn't think you would remember. Fine, 5 million mesos it is." She smiles grimly, and sips her tea. Mysterious old lady wants me to find a dagger? Challenge accepted.

[-]

I glance at my watch, and it's 5 p.m. I've spent more than an hour climbing down Orbis Tower. I hold my breath, and enter Aqua Road. I've been here a few times, when I was a kid, with my mom. I'm pretty good at swimming, so I glide through the water. The water is surprisingly warm, so I swim through easily. A blue Poopa swims past me and I fling a steely at it. It disappears, leaving behind an air bubble. I swallow it, take a deep breath. I was never really intending to hold my breath for the whole job. I swim through the water, taking care to dodge the Jr Seals and Poison Poopa. I only got 3 thousand steelies on hand with me, so I don't want to waste any of it.

By the time I get to the Red Coral Forest, where all of the Freezers are, my air bubble was long gone. Shit, I don't have time to go back to search for any. I put on my Maple Skanda, which I've been keeping with me ever since I was 6, and it fits on my hand like a glove. Action time.

I throw steelies at the Freezers, one after another, so fast that it's all a blur. They die quickly, leaving nothing but seal meat behind. Why won't any of these drop the dagger? A Poison Poopa hits me from behind, and after that everything goes black….just like the entrance exam.

[-]

"Are you okay?" I hear a soft voice calling me.

"Luke?" I call out, opening my eyes slightly.

"Nah. It's me."

Griffin.

"W-Where am I?" I ask him. I look up, and all I see are coral shells dangling from the ceiling.

"The Aquarium. You passed out due to lack of oxygen." He tells me, his face awfully close to mine.

"I thought you were in Ludibrium." I say bluntly. What am I doing, with a boy I barely know?

"I passed by. The fact that a bunch of Freezers were surrounding you kinda got my attention." He jokes, his face inches away from mine. "I had to give you mouth to mouth for you to wake up."

"What?" I sit up, in a panic. My face flushes, and I start feeling hot all over again.

"I'm joking. Don't worry." Griffin says, his hand curling around mine again. "You're safe with me."

"What?" I ask, confused.

Griffin just smiles and kisses me. His lips are soft and taste of sea water. My eyes shut close, as if I'm in a trance. I feel Griffin's hand creep around my waist, and I instantly swoon.

"Want some fried shrimp?" He asks me, dangling it over my head.

"I'm not a dog, okay." I laugh, and snatch it from him. I love seafood…..And I guess I like him, too. Mysterious, funny, handsome, cute. He's treating me to a seafood and hamburger dinner.

"So, where did you get this?" I ask, waving a hamburger in his face.

"Misky, the Grocer." He whispers, before taking a bite of it.

"Hey! That's mine." I laugh, pulling it away. I'm happy, just here. Eating and laughing with a boy I barely know, but I love this feeling, all the same. I feel wanted, loved.

I glance at my watch, and it's 5 AM. God, where am I? I glance to my side, and see Griffin sleeping soundly, looking as adorable as ever. My God, we slept on the same bed. I glance downwards, and sigh in relief. We're both fully clothed. Last night was a complete blur. All I remember was having dinner, and….I can't recall anything. I put on my red leather jacket which dried overnight, and grab my rucksack. I take a long look at Griffin, his dark hair spiking out in every direction, and leave.

I walk around Aquarium, stopping at the Department store to buy some Air Bubbles, before heading back to the Red Coral Forest. Where I passed out, supposedly. My hair is all tangled and messy, but I couldn't care less. No one (sane) is going to see me in my winkled gray mini-skirt, red leather jacket and pink peep-toe sandals. I have a job to complete.

[===]

**Info:** Ariel is one of the only female-only guilds in the Maple World, and on the Honorable Rock, is 2nd. (Right behind Scarlion) It is led by legendary guild master Ariel, although not much is known about her past before defeating the statue, Ariel. The only male member in the guild is Luke, Ariel's brother, who also works as the maintenance worker. There are approximately 50 members in the guild, and about 10 teams within that. People who read Fairy Tail or something similar would get what I'm talking about. :D BTW, Sorry it's so short! I thought it'll be better if I make chapters shorter so I can update more often. I'll try maybe once a week.

**Review if you liked it! I'd love to hear any suggestions, cause I'm a newbie writer. :D**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: La la la la la la, sing a happy song!

I DO NOT OWN MAPLE STORY! NEXON DOES!

Chapter 2: Orbis Park

_Rewritten on the 1__st__ of February _

I trail across the sea floor, gripping the dagger tightly in my hands. I've finished my first job.

Well, almost finished. I just have to get up that damn tower first.

Even though it's already 9 a.m., the morning sun is still trying hard, but not hard enough, to pierce through the water, so the Aquarium seems very dim and gloomy.

I walk towards the Department store, and stop in my tracks. Griffin. On impulse, I use my Dark Sight. Hopefully I'd be invisible enough that he won't notice me. He glances in my direction, as if he heard something, with a puzzled expression. I'm so screwed. Did he hear me? Or even worse, did he see me? After I one night stand-ed him? (Okay, even though nothing that obscene happened, it was a possibility, wasn't it?) He leaves, his dark, spiky uncombed hair and the rest of his ridiculously hot-self walking away. I remember how he twirled my hair last night, and my cheeks flame.

I climb up the Orbis Tower, killing annoying Leatties on the way. By the time I get to the 10th floor, my legs have turned to jelly. I'm pretty stupid, believing that I could climb up 20 floors of Orbis Tower, being the weakling who can barely open up the ketchup bottle, without breakfast. I'm _such_ a smartass.

"Shirley?" I hear someone whisper in the darkness.

"W-who's there?" I hear the strong wind howling against the aged tower walls, and I pick up the pace and start running up the tower.

"Shirley!" I hear the voice again. It's high pitched and girly, and sounds seriously familiar. My heart is pounding, but I ignore it and get onto the 9th floor. I see a shadow, trailing behind me, and I stop in my tracks.

I feel someone grip my shoulders, and the shadow covers my mouth before I could let out a blood-curdling scream.

"W-what ya' want?" I stutter, but my words come out muffled.

"Listen." the 'shadow' whispers, "Griffin isn't who he appears to be." The shadow loosens its (her?) grip on my shoulders before fading into oblivion. I literally feel a chill down my spine. Griffin?

"Griffin isn't who he appears to be." I hear the shadow's voice echoing in my ears. I run up the steps of the tower, suddenly more motivated to get outta a place than I've ever been in my life. I just want to get this finished, and get back to my room and take a nice, long shower.

"Shirley!" I hear someone call out for me again. Holy crap. I turn around, but it's only Griffin.

"W-What are you doing here?" I ask him, realizing it's a lil too late to use Dark Sight now.

"You left. I should be asking the same to you." He says, and I see the shadow come again. It whirls around Griffin a few times, but he doesn't seem to notice.

"G-Griffin!" I shout, shoving him out of the way. The shadow makes a loud screeching sound before slamming me up against one of the tower's hard walls. I wince in pain, and my legs won't move. Shit. The shadow suddenly disappears, like it did just a few minutes ago, leaving Griffin unconscious on the floor.

"He's not who he appears to be!" I hear the high pitched voice echoing in my ears.

I hear a sharp ringing sound, and notice that it's coming from Griffin's earpiece. "Griffin, are you there?" A girl's voice says. "Griffin, do you read me?"

"G-Griffin past out." I manage, my legs still numb as hell. A Fire Sentinel goes near Griffin, but I manage fling a steely at it before it could do any damage.

"What the hell. Who the freak are you?" She snaps.

"I'm his friend. Look, who the hell are _you_?" I say, trying to stand up.

"None of your business. Just get Griffin's ass over to Scarlion HQ ASAP." She snaps.

"Problem. I-I can't move." I say. God, I sound pathetic right now.

"Shit. Wait, I'm sending a Mirror of Dimension for you now." A mirror suddenly appears, and I try my best to limp over to Griffin.

"Come on, big guy." I whisper, trying to lift him. God, this is hopeless.

"Just kick him into the portal already!" I hear her snap over the earpiece.

"Sheesh. Don't get your panties in a knot." I snap back at her, kicking Griffin until he rolls into it.

The Mirror of Dimension works fast. As soon as I stuck my hand in there, I could feel the breeze coming from the other side. Victoria **Is**land. I step into it, and I arrive outside Scarlion HQ. I've heard rumors, about how it looks. But I think it just looks like a big hotel.

"Took you some time, missy." I turn around, and see a fairly tall girl with striking green eyes and wavy chestnut hair. "We're coming!" She screams in her earpiece, before dragging Griffin by the collar.

"Where are you taking him?" I shout. She ignores me, and continues to drag Griffin into the building. Ggah, seems like I have to follow as well, than.

I limp into the building, my heavy rucksack trailing behind me. "Woah woah woah. Who's your lil girlfriend?" A tall, slim, girl who's just about my age comes into view, her hands on her hips.

"Her name is S-Shirley." Griffin whispers, lying down on a nearby coach. I glance over my shoulder, and Elizabeth, the bitchy girl with green eyes, made him wake up, after all.

"I'm not his girlfriend." I say, a little too quickly. "Like, I barely know him! I just met him y-yesterday!"

The tall girl fluffs her long black hair before snarling "Get out." her lips twitching into a mean and tight smile.

"Shirley. Don't go." Griffin whispers, sitting up a little.

"Oh, please. Griffin, shut your face." She walks up to me, and I'm too scared to move. "Now, listen….Whatever your name is."

"Shirley. Get it right next time you're trying to threaten me, cause you're not doing such a great job with it." I sass at her, my confidence rising even though my leg is throbbing in pain.

She scoffs before saying "Don't you know who I am?" She backs up a bit, and flips her hair. "I'm one of the head leaders of Scarlion, which is way better than your little charade of a guild back in Leafre."

One of the head leaders of Scarlion? "I find that hard to believe, since right now, you seem as if you're 12." I say, eyeing her slim body, just an inch taller than mine. She makes a low grunt, like an animal in pain, before snapping her fingers. Her mean face goes blurry, and I somehow teleport back to Orbis.

"Shir-" I hear Griffin shout out, before I fade away.

[-]

"Here." I hand the dagger over to the old lady. She looks at it closely, running her fingers along the blade.

"Good job." She nods, and pours me more tea. "Nice specimen, indeed." She takes out a velvet handkerchief and wraps it around the dagger before stowing it away under her bed. My mouth opens to ask why, but somehow no words come out.

"Uh…..Thanks for the tea." I say awkwardly, to fill the silence.

"Your very welcome." She smiles at me, and I notice that she's much happier ever since I've handed the dagger over to her. Interesting.

"So….When do I get my reward?" I ask her. As soon as possible, maybe. I'll have to pay this month's rent next week.

"You're in Ariel, aren't you?" She asks me. I nod, sipping more tea. "Yes. I could spot those earrings anywhere." She half-smiles, and thinks for a long moment. "I'll send the payment over to the guild, if that's okay with you. I'm not fond of carrying large amounts of money around with me."

"Y-yeah! Sure! That'll be good. Great, actually!" I say quickly.

[-]

I ride the trip back to Leafre, alone. I lie down and rest my head gently on the big blue bird. I didn't get to sleep much, last night. When I get back, I'm certainly gonna crash. There's so many things I don't understand. Who's Griffin? Why does he seem to like me? What's up with Scarlion? I kinda knew they hated us, but….

"Hey," I glance to my side, only to see a girl that looks just like me, only taller.

"What the freak!" I jolt upwards, and nearly fall off the bird.

"Don't worry. I won't hurt you." She tells me, hugging her knees tightly against her body.

"Am I dreaming? Are you even real?" I reach out to touch her hair, but my hand just grasp onto thin air.

"Don't be stupid. I'm a ghost." She smiles a little at me, and I feel that chill down my spine again.

"B-But you look just like me." I say in disbelief. "I'm not dead, am I?" I say, my hand feeling my face in case I'm starting to fade away.

"No. You're alive. I'm just…..A messenger from the future." She giggles. From the future. Which explains our size differences.

"So….Why are you here?" I ask her. Her expression turns a little dark.

"Griffin isn't who he appears to be. Don't trust him too much." She tells me, looking serious.

"W-wait, you were that shadow in the tower?" I ask her, but she starts to look blurry. "Don't you disappear! Answer me!" I scream at her, but she disappears anyway.

"Don't worry, Shirley. We'll meet again." Her voice echoes in my ears.

"Freak!" I scream into nothing ness.

[-]

I push my room's door open, and my room looks immaculate. Like, everything is literally cleaner. Someone even put up floral drapes for me.

"You're back already?" I glance over my shoulder and notice Naomi polishing her swords in the hallway.

"Uhm, what the hell are you doing?" I ask, leaning against my door.

"Cleaners are in. Nidda do it somewhere." She shrugs, spraying her swords with some dodgy looking liquid before wiping them thoroughly.

"So...You're a warrior?" I ask, watching he**r. **

**"**I'm a Night Walker. Fencing is just one of my hobbies." She says, lifting up a Lionheart Battle Scimitar. I'm pretty sure you don't use that for fencing.

"G-Great. Bye." I say awkwardly, shutting the door gently behind me.

I dump my rucksack onto my bed, and grab the comb next to it. I rake it through my awfully tangled hair, trying to smooth it out a little. I hear a knock and the door.

"Naomi, I'm not interesting in fencing!" I shout, loud enough for her to hear it.

"Shirley? It's Hannah. Could you open up?" Oh, crap.

"Just a second!" I shout again, taking my shoes off, cause I know she hates it when we dirty the floors. I open the door, and Hannah shoves a plastic container at me. A hot plastic container.

"What is this?" I ask, peering at it.

"Your dinner." She tells me, slamming the door in my face. What? I set it on my bedside table and open it up. Immediately, I can smell the strong aroma of unagi rice. Yum. A note attached to the bottom of the container says :

_Enjoy your Kabayaki-don, Shirley! The dining room is under renovation._

in big and curly writing. God, this guild just gets weirder and weirder. What's up with all the renovations?

"That looks good." I glance backwards, and Cheryl, clad in an expensive looking floral dress, is lying on my bed.

"What the hell. Why are you here?" I exclaim, grabbing a steely off the table.

"Woah! No need to get flustered." She laughs, holding her hands outwards. She looks into my eyes for a while, and I notice that her eyes are aqua.

"Your eyes aren't blue." I whisper, and Cheryl looks puzzled.

"They've always been aqua." She tells me, messing up my duvet.

"That's impossible. You're supposed to be like, a ghost of me, right?" She nods, and I pace across the room. This doesn't make any sense. "My eyes. They're _blue_. Not aqua." I stare at her, her high cheekbones, her pale cheeks covered with a thin layer of coral blush, her small and cute nose, with just the right amount of freckles scattered across it. She looks just like _me_. But her eyes.

"H-How old are you?" I ask her finally, sitting down.

"I don't know. 17, maybe?" She says casually, as if it's not that a big deal. She rolls over to face me. "Why?" she furrows her brows like she's thinking hard. I feel like slapping her, cause she's _so much_ like me it's sickening.

"You're in the Higher Class, aren't you?" I ask. She nods, and my heart does a summersault. A grin flashes across my face, and Cheryl starts to giggle.

"Don't worry. I got into Higher Class _years_ ago. No, _you _got into Higher Class years ago." She winks at me, before fading away again. Some ghost she is.

[-]

I walk down the long, marble steps of the stairs, my nightgown frayed and wrinkled. I glance at my watch, and it's 2:42 a.m. God dammit.

I open the heavy doors of the conference room, and walk in.

"Great to see you, Shirley."

I pull out a chair, and scoff under my breath. I look around, and half a dozen sleepy faces stare back at me. "So, everyone here is without a team, yes?" Ariel says, acting very chirpy at this time of day. Everyone nods, slowly. "Good." She grins, before leaving the room.

"What the hell." I grunt, glancing at my watch again. 2:49 a.m.

"Hi, I'm Layla." I glance towards her, and she has brown eyes, curly brown (well, at least I think it's brown. It's so dark now…) hair, and a porcelain perfect face. She looks cute. Like, Neutrogena commercial cute.

"Hi." I say awkwardly. I look around, twirling a strand of hair with my finger, and the only people I recognize are Layla and Naomi. Naomi sits at the end of the table, her legs crossed sternly on top of it.

"Do you smell that?" Layla asks, before holding her breath. It smells like…..poison. Suddenly, we hear a loud explosion.

"Shit!" I scream, pushing Layla under the table.

"What the freak." I hear Naomi mutter under her breath. The table shakes, and I can hear Layla whimpering. I pull her close to me and hug her tight. Naomi crawls under the table, and huffs.

"Wimp." She sneers at Layla, and I feel her body stiffening.

"What the hell, Naomi. If you're all _that_, why don't you go fix it!"

Crap. Just what I need. I look around, but everything just seems to be shaking. The scent of poison fills my lungs, and I just about choke. I look around, and everyone seems to be huddling around each other, looking panicked "L-Layla. You're a Fire/Poison Archie, aren't you?" I ask her. She nods. That's why she isn't being affected by the gas.

"Naomi. Do you have any air bubbles?" I shout, noticing that she's gripping a large rucksack wrapped tightly around her. She gives me a dirty look, and I back off. She doesn't want to help, as it seems. Dammit. The shaking stops, and the smell of poison resides. Thank God. The heavy wooden doors open, and Ariel walks in. Her heels click against the marble floors, and she strides back to her seat, as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened.

"Shirley, Layla, Naomi, you guys are a team now." She declares, pointing as she muttered our names. "Congratulations! I hope you guys enjoy working together in future."

"What the freak. You gotta be kiddin' me, Ary." Naomi sneers, her legs up on the table again.

"I'm okay with it." I shrug, just to piss her off.

"Yeah. Me too." Layla whispers, smoothing her long hair.

"Then it's official. Oh, and Naomi, stop calling me Ary." Ariel says casually, walking out of the room. I glance at my watch, and it's 3:12 a.m. Back to bed.

[-]

I hear a loud thump on the door, and I jolt up from bed. God, what time is it? I glance at my watch for about the 12th time today, and it's 7 a.m. I walk over to the door and open it.

"Good morning, Shirley!" Layla is there, fully dressed, her chirpy smile and sweet yet intoxicating perfume filling me up.

"Yeah." I slam the door in her face and crawl back into bed. I'm so tired. _So_ tired. I don't have any mood to get out of my room. For a while, I just lay in my bed, playing with my duvet. I glance at the ceiling, and take a deep breath. Day 4 here and I'm already in a team. With Naomi, a moody, simpering psycho, and Layla, a way too cheery, red headed toddler. But still. My pillow is soft, and I can feel the gentle breeze from the barely opened windows. I couldn't be bothered closing them, since I sleep with my steelies by my side. The guild smells of turpentine and a little beer, and just the scent of it fills me up.

"Wakie, wakie!" I wake up before feeling a jolt down my spine. "Freak!" I sit up from my bed hurriedly, and peer around. Cheryl starts to appear in the room, and I glance at my watch. 8:25 a.m. I don't have time for this.

"What do you want?" I howl, burying my face back into my pillow.

"I just thought I would drop by!" She says casually, peering at my bedside table scattered with makeup and various knick-knacks.

"That's great." I say, sarcasm filling my voice. "Now, what do you want?"

Cheryl sits at the edge of the bed, crossing her long legs, before telling me "I need you to go find Griffin." hurriedly. I groan and walk over to my bathroom and slam the door. "Hey! You can't run from me, you know." Cheryl appears in front of me, looking annoyed.

"I'm trying to shower." I hiss, turning on the hot water.

"Okay, okay! I'm leaving."

[===]

Info: Chapter 2 is finally done. Sorry if you're confused. Sometimes I try too much to cram info into my work. More on the weird scenario in the conference room soon. BTW, 'freak' is just a replacement for the F word, in case you didn't know. ._.

Review if you liked it! I'd love to hear any suggestions, cause I'm a newbie writer. :D


	3. Chapter 3

Written by phoebesmiles

A/N: This is a chain-up story with my good friend RaeyaK's 'Insecure'. Hope you enjoy reading!

I DO NOT OWN MAPLE STORY! NEXON DOES!

Chapter 3: Naomi Grayson

After a long shower, I walk over to the conference room for our team 'meeting'. I feel good. Kind of. I'm dressed in my favorite pink cami and denim shorts. I push open the heavy doors, and walk in. I take a seat, at the far end, as far away as Naomi as possible.

"Hi, Naomi." I mumble, looking around. Just the two of us.

"Yeah." She mumbles back, avoiding eye contact. Her feet are on the table, yet again, but this time she's wearing black stilettos. Scary.

"Woah! Sorry I'm late." Layla pokes her head through the door, and walks in. She's carrying a large backpack with her, and her red hair is tied up into a messy knot.

"Nah. We haven't started." I smile at her, trying to make up for the way I almost broke her nose earlier. She sits down, right next to me, and I notice Naomi looking annoyed. Whatever.

"So, has everyone had breakfast yet?" Layla asks, fiddling with her long blouse. I shake my head, and Naomi just stares into the distance.

"Good. I was thinking we could go for some Red Bean Sundaes later." She grins, and I can't help feeling puzzled. Is that what she has for breakfast?

"Great idea, Layla." Naomi snickers, sarcastically, but Layla doesn't seem to notice. At exactly 9 a.m., Ariel walks in, carrying loads of papers.

"Good morning everyone." She sets all her things on the table and takes a seat. Ariel gives Naomi a dirty look and she automatically lowers her feet.

"As you guys know, you guys were the only few who passed the test yesterday."

"Test? You mean, the earthquake was a test?" Layla asks in disbelief.

"It wasn't an earthquake, dumbass." Naomi sneers.

"It's just set up. She just wants to find out which group of people work together well. God knows why I'm in this tea-"

"Oh, shut up, Naom." Ariel huffs, cutting her off. Ary? Naom?

"Are you guys, like, related or something?" I think out loud. Naomi swears under her breath, and Ariel just smiles.

"Yes. Naomi is my niece." She says casually. I hear Layla gasp beside me, and I can understand why. Niece? But they have exactly nothing in common. Their hair, their eyes, their personalities. They're as different as day and night.

"Thanks. Thanks so much, Ary. I just love you." Naomi mumbles.

"It isn't much of a secret, since everyone in the Higher Class already knows." Ariel grins, hugging Naomi tightly.

"B-But, you're not _that _old." Layla blurts. Way to go, Layla. Way to go.

"My mom is a slut." Naomi says, her voice emotionless.

"Naomi Grayson! Don't say that about my sis- I mean, your mom." Ariel says before hitting her shoulder.

"Whatever! You know better than anyone that mom would sleep with anyone with a heartbeat! No wonder she's busy in hiding. I'm just waiting for her to crawl under a rock and croak already!" She screams, before slamming the conference room's doors shut.

"Naomi!" Ariel shouts, teleporting after her. I look at Layla, and she looks even more shocked than me.

"What do you know about Naomi?" I ask Layla, a few minutes later. Layla thinks for a moment, twirling her curly red hair.

"Her name is Naomi Grayson. She's 16, and her favorite colour is red." She starts, avoiding my gaze. "She lives with her cat, Minnie. She's a Night Walker, but also possesses other abilities. Like, she's really good with a sword, and she can mentally file info about people." Layla giggles a little. "She may seem mean, but she's nice when she wants to be."

"Oh. How come I find that so hard to believe." I mumble, laying my head gently onto the marble table.

Layla just sighs, and stares at the door, waiting for them to get back. If they ever do, anyway.

"Shirley!" I sit up, and it seems Layla hasn't even made a peep. The dark shadow comes back, this time descending from the high ceiling. It dances around the crystal chandelier, taunting me.

"Freak." I mutter under my breath.

"Did you say something?" Layla asks, looking at me like I'm crazy. Maybe I am. I wouldn't know.

The shadow swoops down, like a plane plummeting towards the ground, before coming to a stop in front of Layla's face. It hovers around her for a moment, and I realize that she can't see it.

"L-Layla. M-Move!" I shriek, getting up from my seat so fast I knock the marble stool over. "What?"

"MOVE!" I push her out of the way.

"Shirley! You can't run from me." Cheryl's high pitched voice bounces off the walls, making my ears ache. The dark shadow comes toward me, and slowly, I can make out Cheryl's features. Layla lays on the floor next to me, looking panicked.

"Shirley? Are you okay?" She asks, her voice shaking. I reach into my bag for my claw, slowly enough that Cheryl wouldn't notice.

"Hm. Think I wouldn't know that you're reaching for that?" Cheryl says, flinging a steely at me. I try my best to dodge, but it manages to cut off a clump of my hair before hitting the wall with a loud "Ping!"

"Freak." I mutter under my breath, feeling my face in case she cut anything more than just hair.

"Aw, don't worry. I wouldn't do anything to hurt you." Cheryl sneers teleporting even closer to me. She shoves me, and I slam against the wall. Layla shrieks, and stands up a little.

"Oh my God. W-Who are you?" She walks toward Cheryl, gripping something that looks suspiciously like a Dragon Wand in her hands tightly.

"W-What? You can see me?" Cheryl drops her steely, and it falls to the marble floor.

"W-What are you? Get away from Shirley!" Layla raises her voice, and I feel a chill down my spine.

"You're Layla, aren't you?" Cheryl sneers, mouthing her name like it's a bad word. She nods, and Cheryl pins me to the wall by my shoulder.

"Don't move." She whispers, before turning to Layla. As if I'd have any intention to do that.

"Let's see what this lil pipsqueak can do." she says as she activates her Shadow Partner.

"Let's play, then." Layla whispers.

The whole conference room starts to fog up in green smoke, and I realize that it's Poison Myst. I use one of my leftover air bubbles, and take a deep breath. I hear the sound of steelies being flung, the sound of someone flash jumping across the room.

"Urgh!" I hear Layla shriek after disappearing in the fog for a long time. The poison recedes a little, and she's surrounded by a dozen of ninjas. Ninja Ambush? Cheryl flash jumps across the room, and picks Layla up by her blouse collar.

"Had enough?" She whispers, and Layla just shakes her head.

"Enough? This is nothing." She pants a little, and suddenly a huge meteor comes crashing down onto Cheryl.

"Freak!" I hear her scream. The meteor disappears, and Cheryl, looking scratched up, stands, wobbling slightly. She snickers, and swallows a Power Elixer, wiping her mouth on her sleeve.

"W-What?" Layla gasps.

"That's all you got?" Cheryl taunts, hands on her hips. Layla drops her wand, and I can tell that she's out of magic.

"Maybe not." She raises her fist and punches Cheryl's jaw. Cheryl falls to the floor, and fades away.

"You okay?" I ask Layla, hugging her tightly.

"Y-Yeah. T-That was nothing." She tells me, her voice wobbly.

"Doesn't matter." I squeeze her, and inhale deep breaths of her stupidly sweet perfume. She escapes from my bear hug, grinning like a kid on Christmas.

"And I thought you didn't like me."

"Impossible. I've always liked you." I tell her, meaning it.

We sit in my room, eating Red Bean Sundaes. "OMG, so I'm like, the only person who can see her?" Layla squeals.

"I guess." I say, being careful not to mention anything about Griffin.

"You never told me you could punch like that." I joke, licking the back of my spoon.

"Nah. I don't fight that often." She shrugs. My gaze wanders to the corner of my room, where Naomi is sitting. She kicked off the stilettoes a while ago, but somehow she has still has this scary aura around her.

"You okay, Grayson?" I ask her. She nods, staring out of the window.

"I'm sorry. For messing up the meeting." She mumbles, sounding a little forced.

"It's okay." Layla says, as innocent and cute as ever. I find it hard to believe that she punched the crap out of Cheryl just now.

"Whatever." She closes her eyes, and leans against the wall.

"You're weird, you know that?" I tease her, resting my chin on my hand. Naomi stirs a little, before snickering.

"Shut it."

"Dinner." Hannah shoves yet another plastic container into my arms, and slams the door in my face. I set it on my table, and jump onto the bed. I'm not really hungry, yet. Cheryl pops up beside me, and somehow I'm not surprised. She's been popping up a lot more often lately, especially during dinner.

"Hey, Shirley." Cheryl whispers into my ear. I roll over, and casually reach for my claw.

"I'm not doing anything for you." I tell her, pretending to yawn.

"I know that." Cheryl says, sitting up. "I know all your thoughts, you see. We're connected."

"Bull shit." I snicker, before getting up and walking to my little table.

"Aw. Don't get upset." She appears beside me, and starts whispering into my ear. "I just need to you run some errands for me. That's all."

"Errands?" I ask, my voice small.

"Hurry! Before all the good jobs are taken up." Layla holds my hand, and drags me towards the message board. Everyone is crowded around, cause new jobs just got posted. Naomi trails behind us, wearing a navy power suit.

"What the hell?" I asked, before.

"Hey. I hate going out for jobs. Just a pain." She said, tying her brown hair into a slick ponytail.

"I prefer working as the receptionist downstairs."

"Hm. How bout this?" Layla points at a job recruit paper, mouthing the words as she reads.

_Skilled Mages Wanted_

_Ludibrium, 2__nd__ Floor of Eos Tower_

_Difficult Assassination Job_

_Good Reward_

"Yeah, I like it." Naomi says behind us, smirking, returning to her usual spiteful self.

"Assassination? As in, we nidda kill some monster?" I ask, hoping it wasn't something else.

"Oh, no. We're gonna kill someone." Layla giggles at the thought of it, before ripping it off the message boards. I literally feel the colour of my face draining away. "Our first team job! This is gonna be _so_ fun."

We enter Ludibrium station, and Layla starts skipping around with joy. Crazy muppet.

"Could you stop that? It'll make us look like tourists." Naomi scoffs, feeling a little extra cranky due to the rain. I could imagine. The air smells damp, and the town is filled with buildings shaped like toys. Was this place designed by 3 year olds?

"Eos Tower is right over there." We walk along the streets which are paved with blocks, lugging our heavy suitcases. I glance to my side, and Naomi is wrapping her black trench coat tightly against her, looking pissed. Layla still looks as chirpy as ever, which I find hard to believe, skipping along while dodging the occasional puddle.

We climb down the tower, dodging annoying mobs along the way.

"You okay? You look pale." Naomi tells me, her voice filled with real concern for about the first time she's spoken to me.

"Yeah." I mumble. I'm pretty sure I have a phobia against towers, even towers built out of blocks I used to play as a kid. Layla squeezes my hand, hard. She's the only one who knows. Hopefully she'll be the _only_ one that _has _to know.

"My God. Someone left a good lip gloss on the floor." I turn around, and Naomi is picking up some tube of cherry red lip gloss.

"Hey! That could be someone's….Maybe we should just leave it?" Layla says, looking around to see if anyone might have dropped it.

"T-That's mine!" I snatch it away from her, and stuff it into my pocket.

"You sure?" Naomi looks skeptical.

"Y-Yeah. Must have fallen out of my pocket." I improvise, and Naomi just shrugs. I don't wear cherry red, I wear bubblegum pink. But I know who does.

"Floor 35. 33 more to go." Naomi huffs, carrying Layla on her back.

"Uh, Naomi. Aren't you tired piggyback-ing Layla?" I ask, killing a yellow Helly.

"It's fine. She's pretty light." Naomi shakes Layla playfully, and Layla just moans softly.

"No! I don't want to go to school!" She yawns, before snuggling more into Naomi's thick brown hair.

"I'll get used to that, eventually." Naomi sighs, but I swear I see her eyes twinkle.

I've learnt a lot about Layla, and about Naomi, climbing down the steps of this tower. By the time we got to the 2nd floor, I've learned a lot. Like, Naomi hates bunnies, Layla tires easily, Naomi is strong but lazy, Layla is afraid of spiders, Naomi gets pissed off by toys, Layla likes piggyback rides…..

"We're here." Naomi says, dropping Layla on the floor.

"Ow!" She yelps, rubbing her butt.

"You're welcome." Naomi sneers, kicking her in the stomach.

"Hey, don't do that!" I shriek, shoving Naomi away.

"What's your problem?"

"It's 5 feet tall and has bad taste in clothing!" I scream at her.

"What's wrong with wearing red peep toe wedges?" She says defensively.

"It's freaking raining cats and dogs!"

"Hey, uh, guys!" Layla mumbles, pointing at something. We both glance in her direction and standing in front of us is an old man, sitting down on a building block.

He raises one of his eyebrows and says "Hello, girls."

"Hi." Naomi and I say in unison.

"I want you to kill, her." He whispers, holding out a faded picture of an old lady.

W-Wait. Is she living in Orbis Park?" I stammer.

"Yes. How did you know?" He smiles slightly, and I feel a little sick.

"Lucky guess." I improvise.

"What affliation do you have with her?" Layla quizzes, chewing on some strawberry liquorice.

"She's…..my wife." He mumbles, avoiding eye contact.

"And you want her dead?" Layla persists.

The old man huffs, "Yes. I do.", looking annoyed.

"All that, just so we have to travel back to Orbis. How pissed off can one person be?" Naomi complains.

"So, how did you know bout the old man's wife being in Orbis?" Layla asks, searching around in my bag for more candy. I hit her knuckles sharply, and shake my head.

"I did a job for her. Just last week."

"And we're going to kill her?" Layla gasps.

"Sure we are." Naomi says, looking bored.

"Her house is over there." I whisper, pointing to the floating house about a block away.

"This is gonna be easy." Naomi grins slyly, putting on her Red Craven.

"Wait! We have to decide who's going to kill her. I mean, she's just an old lady." Layla says, sounding flustered. "How bout we rock, paper, scissors for it?"

"N-No! I'm pretty sure she's a mage, too." I cut in, twirling my hair with my index finger. "I saw her levitating the last time I've been her."

"Pfft. My cat can levitate." Naomi scoffs, sucking on a red lollipop.

"Hey, where did you get that lollipop? Anyway, I'm pretty sure we can take her." Layla says, rummaging through Naomi's red handbag. Does she have anything that isn't red?

"Okay, ready?" Naomi whispers, as we crouch outside the house. We listen against the door, and it's obvious that she's inside. I can hear her old lady slippers shuffling against the wooden floorboards.

"Yeah." I nod, hesitating a little.

"Go!" Naomi shoves me, and my body thumps against the door. I hear the old lady's footsteps nearing the door, and I stand up straighter.

"Hello, Shirley." The old lady tells me, eyeing my black hoodie and black knee length socks. Hey, it was laundry day. She stares at me, and I feel a bead of sweat trickle down my neck. "Who are your friends?" She asks, glancing outside.

"Uhm, what friends?" I improvise. I didn't know she could see through invisibility magic.

"Don't be silly, Shirley. One of them is a brunette, the other a redhead." She laughs, pointing at Naomi and Layla crouching next to me. "Show them in."

"I told you this plan would suck." Naomi complains, placing her wedges carefully against the coffee table.

"Do you have anything other than tea, old lady?" Layla asks, swirling her lavender tea around.

"Whatever, Naomi. I didn't know she would be able to see through Layla's magic." I mutter, snatching Layla's tea away while she giggles like a 5 year old. I look around, and the old ladies house seems unchanged in the past week. She's over her little stove, making some chicken soup.

"So, what are you ladies here for?" She asks, tasting the soup straight from the ladle.

"We're here to kill you." Layla says sweetly, and I can hear Naomi face palming next to me.

"T-That's not why we're here! She's just, she's just babbling." I say quickly, pinching Layla, hard, under the table.

"Ow!" She yelps, rubbing her leg.

"No need, dear. I already know." The old lady walks towards us, a creepy grin plastered across her face. "I know my husband sent you. Didn't he?"

"Yeah. He said he would – Mmff!" Layla starts, but her words get muffled as Naomi covers her mouth with a gloved hand.

"Enough of you, muppet." Naomi sneers, pulling Layla tightly against her, silencing her instantly.

"Look, this isn't the first group of mages he's sent. Maybe the first from Ariel, but definitely not the first ever." The old lady sighs, pulling out a small stool from under the table.

"We don't really have any intention to harm you. Maybe you could just give us something and we'll pretend that – " I start.

"That's total bullshit. We're going to complete this mission, whether you want to or not." Naomi says, pushing Layla away gently.

"Your friend is right. And, if you want to complete it, I guess we'll have to fight." The old lady shrugs, standing up, wobbling slightly.

"F-Fight?"

Info: Finally got the format correct. Maybe when I'm free I might rewrite the previous chapters to make them easier to read. Thanks to my cousin for advice. BTW, I kinda suck at fighting scenes, don't I? Review if you liked it! I'd love to hear any suggestions, cause I'm a newbie writer. :D

People who've Appeared in this Chapter (In Order):

Shirley (Level 70 Hermit) Age 13

Naomi (Level 165 Nightwalker) Age 17

Layla (Level 123 Fire/Poison Mage) Age 16

Ariel (Level 200 Goddess) Age 27

Cheryl (?) Age 17


	4. Chapter 4

Written by phoebesmiles

A/N: This is a chain-up story with my good friend RaeyaK's 'Insecure'. Hope you enjoy reading! (I've noticed I can't really separate the sections of the chapter. Sorry for that. Trying to work that out.)

I DO NOT OWN MAPLE STORY! NEXON DOES!

Chapter 4: The Courtyard

We're in some kind of courtyard, Naomi, Layla, the old lady and me. The floors are paved with blood red ceramic tiles and the sky is a faint colour of orange and indigo. Layla is on the floor, her curly red hair scattered across it, and I can't tell whether she's bleeding or not. Naomi stands next to her, looking at her like she's slime on her shoe.

"Come on, muppet. I'm not done with you yet." Naomi whispers, her voice filled with false sympathy, crouching next to her. Naomi stands up, and I notice her red skintight cat suit torn around the edges. Naomi kicks Layla in the stomach with her pointy shoes, but Layla just moans.

"Winner, Naomi Grayson." The old lady announces, and Layla disappears.

"W-Where did she go?" I scream at her.

"I teleported back to the house. No worries." She whispers. "She's had enough for now." The old lady glances at Naomi. "Next round. Shirley Fox versus Naomi Grayson."

"This is going to be so easy." Naomi smirks, as I put on my claw.

"Don't get your hopes up. You've already used quite a bit of magic with Layla, didn't you?" I say, feeling confident.

"And, start!"

A loud bell goes off, and Naomi runs towards me, her long brown hair flying behind her. For a second, my mind goes blank. Why am I doing this? Why am I agreeing to fight Naomi, when I know my chances of winning are close to zero? Six Ilbi stars are flung at me, but I dodge them easily.

"Not so tough, are you?" I taunt Naomi.

"Don't get your hopes up. We're just getting started." She grins, mocking me. More stars are thrown at me, and I start running. I just got to my 3rd Job Advancement a week ago, and the only Hermit skill I have is a measly Triple Throw, which is nothing compared to the arsenal of skills Naomi probably has.

"Freak!" I shriek. I fall to the ground, face first. Next to me are about a dozen stars. I glance at my arm, and half of my sleeve is gone. That could've really hurt.

"Told ya." Naomi walks towards me, and I stumble to my feet. I throw steelies at her, but she swats them away with her claw like they're flies. She picks me up by my throat and I feel her leather gloves rubbing against my skin.

"S-Stop!" I mumble, but her grip just gets tighter.

"I'm just gonna make this quick." Naomi smiles icily. "You won't feel a thing."

"Bullshit!" I kick her in her knee, and she drops me like a hot potato.

"Damn," She wobbles on her feet. "Why can't you just make my job easier? Annoying pest."

I run across the courtyard, because I know I'll have more of an advantage if I'm as far away as possible. I throw steelies at her but she dodges them. She flash jumps toward me, her lips set in a creepy smile. Her fist meets my jaw, hard, and I fall to the hard floor again.

"Come on," I hear Naomi whisper. "Get up," I hear her footsteps, and she's walking around me in circles. I feel something pointy against my leg - her shoes.

"Here you go," I whisper, stabbing my steely into her thigh.

"F-Freak!" Naomi shrieks. "What the hell! Are you trying to permanently scar me?" I look up and her blood is seeping through her cat suit a little already.

"Maybe." I stand up, my left leg feeling numb.

"Winner, Shirley Fox." The old lady comes up to us, grinning slightly, and snaps her fingers. Naomi disappears, back to the house, leaving me alone.

"Naomi!" I shout, as she fades into oblivion. I glance at the old lady, still grinning, and my heart about jumps out of my mouth. How am I going to defeat this lady? I didn't think Naomi would be hurt by such a _lame_ move. "Naomi! Layla!"

"Oh, shut it." The old lady sneers. "It's time for the next battle."

"_**N-No!**_ No, no, no, no, no, no way that I'm not going to kill an old lady!" I run across the courtyard, but the invisible force fields keep me from escaping. Dammit! Naomi was supposed to kill her, not me. Or, even Layla might have done it, seeing that's she's so keen on the assassination bit.

"Don't worry. I'll go easy on you." The old lady starts to glow yellow, and she starts….what the shit is she doing? Is she _m-molting_? Her silver hair turns red, and her skin turns porcelain and wrinkle-free. Her pale, thin lips turn ruby red and plump. Even her pink gown turned into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. "Come on, Shirley. I'm _ready_." She whispers, her voice high-pitched and girly.

"Cheryl?" I gasp. "W-wait, were you the old lady right from the start?"

"For a hermit, you're pretty slow." Her lips twist into a mean snarl of a smile. "This is all a test, really. I'm testing you and your little friends."

"I'm not going to fight you." I say slowly, backing up. "You know that, don't you?

She spits on the ceramic floor and shoves me. Being seriously weak in the knees as I am, I fall over easily. "Ow!" I yelp. I try to sit up, but Cheryl kicks me back down with the toe of her boots.

"Truthfully, I can't really hurt you physically." She whispers, crouching next to me. She pins me by my shoulder and suddenly I can't move.

"Why not?" I ask, struggling a little. Her gaze meets my eyes, and I can't help but stare at her aqua eyes. They're aqua, not blue._ Aqua._

"We're connected. _Literally_." Her face nears mine, and I feel a bead of sweat trickle down my neck. She pinches her own arm, hard, and I feel a shock of pain go through my own. "Understand, Shirley?" She mumbles, her voice shaking.

I nod, and she releases my shoulder from her death grip. "So, now what?" I ask, sitting up. Cheryl gives me a dirty look, and snaps her fingers.

We sit in the little house, sipping lavender tea. Me, in my tattered and torn black hoodie. Layla, adding more and more honey into her tea. Naomi, bandaging her leg. The room is totally silent, other than the sound of Cheryl stirring up her soup from before. "Uhm, Old La – I mean, Cheryl. Could I get some of that?" Layla whispers, noticing how good it smells.

"Sure." Cheryl mumbles awkwardly in a low voice. She scoops out soup into a small bowl and hands it to Layla gingerly.

"Thanks!" Layla grins, sipping noisily straight from the bowl.

I gaze over at Naomi, still fiddling with her wound's dressing. I apologized to her earlier, but she just shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. I _stabbed_ her. How could that not be a big deal? She has a really puzzled expression on her face, probably because she can't see Cheryl. To her, that bowl of soup just magically floated from the pot to Layla's hands. Spooky.

"So, you killed that old lady, right?" Naomi questions me, pouring herself more tea. Layla giggles a little and gulps down her soup.

"Y-Yeah," I fib. She narrows her eyes suspiciously, but decides to just turn a blind eye.

"I told you she would be easy." Naomi went on. "Seeing that even _you_ could kill her."

"Haha, very funny." I mumble under my breath, even though there wasn't anything funny about it.

"So, who's that ghost you two have been whispering to?" Naomi asks, pointing at Cheryl, who's just taken a seat next to her.

"Ghost? What ghost?" Layla says hurriedly. I pinch her under the table and just grin, a little too cheerfully.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Naomi." I say casually, staring at Cheryl out of the corner of my eye. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

Cheryl was sitting by the table, knitting what seems to be a yellow scarf. Her long legs, clad in expensive satin, were crossed as she fiddled with mix-matched knitting needles. One was metal, the other bamboo. I give her a "What-the-hell-are-you-doing?" look and she just shrugs and mouths "Ghosts get cold in winter, too."

"I swear, sometimes you two _never _tell me anything." Naomi huffs, stirring her piping hot tea with her pinky. She eyes the magically floating knitting needles and yellow yarn next to her and rolls her eyes. "I mean, we _are_ in the same team, aren't we?"

I glance at Layla, and she just shrugs. I do feel guilty, really. Just a little bit. Enough to make me have a sour taste on my tongue, which isn't much. Seriously, how could I feel very guilty? It's _Naomi_. The girl who makes rude remarks about everyone, including her very own mother, and would probably kick a puppy in the face just for a laugh. Not to mention she's practically the spawn of Satan. Maybe its slightly friendlier and red obsessed cousin, but still.

"Sorry," I say, trying to sound as sorry as I possibly could. "But some things are just meant to be kept as secrets."

Cheryl doesn't look happy. Not at all, really.

She's sitting crossed legged on the floor, looking as flustered as I've seen her. I can't blame her, really. Having three random girls invade her little house. Layla is moving the beds and the chairs around and Naomi is sitting on the coffee table, ordering Layla around. (Or in her words, "supervising".)

"Is this really necessary?" Cheryl complains, in a hushed tone.

"Sorry," I whisper. "I'm still trying to convince Naomi that the old la – I mean, you're dead."

Cheryl rolls her eyes and swears, quietly. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood, Shirley."

"If you really are in a good mood, then could you tell me what that whole thing was about?"

"Whole thing?"

"Yeah," I mumble. "The whole dressing up as an old lady thing."

"That was…..To get your attention."

"Hm, five foot seven redheaded ghost. How could I have missed?" I laugh.

"Seriously. You aren't listening to what I'm trying to tell you." Cheryl takes a deep breath. "You'll never know how much trouble I had to go through to get an old lady costume."

"And the old man costume?"

"Nah. He's just some hobo I found lying outside Eos tower." Now it was Cheryl's turn to laugh.

"Shut up over there, would you?" Naomi shouts from across the house. "Layla! To the right!"

"She's a nice one, isn't she?" Cheryl whispers. I can't tell whether she's sarcastic or not. "I'd love to fight her, one day." She says in a dreamy voice.

"Why not now?" I ask her. I could imagine why Cheryl would love to fight Naomi. They both have similar qualities. They're both really strong, both the same age, both at least a little evil….

"She can't see me." She rests her chin on her hand before letting out a long sigh. "And you kinda stabbed her. It just wouldn't be fair."

"Pfft. It's called self-defense." I say, pretending to sound insulted. Cheryl chucks a throw pillow Layla dropped onto the floor at me, and I giggle like a baby.

"Shirley, I have to go." Cheryl whispers suddenly, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"Go? Why?"

"I can't stay here for too long. It drains my magic." She smiles a little, before fading into oblivion.

I look into the oven's tiny window, and watch the brownies bake. The whole house smells like intoxicating cinnamon and bubbling chocolate. I look over my shoulder, and the other two are still asleep. Layla on Cheryl's bed, (I'm pretty sure Cheryl won't be too happy) and Naomi on the fluffy red carpet she found (stole?) somewhere outside.

The timer rings, and I search around the kitchen for oven mitts. Aren't any. Maybe because Cheryl is a ghost, she can't really feel the heat. Or she just doesn't cook that often. Nevermind. I grab a napkin from the table and fish the hot brownies from the oven.

"Are they ready?" Layla asks, stretching her arms and yawning.

I nod, before dumping them on the table. Naomi, who was beginning to snore gently under the table, seemed to not notice how I was kicking her in the shins. "Wake up, sleepyhead." I said in a hushed tone, like you would say to a five year old.

I felt something grab my leg from under the table.

Seriously. That was the only reason why I screamed. I don't scream for absolutely no reason.

At least, not every day.

"You should have seen the look on your face!" Naomi laughs, like someone just mentioned Kim's wedding, while scoffing down warm brownies.

"Well, you do have to admit it was kinda funny." Layla giggles.

"Who's side are you on?" I give Layla a dirty look, and she stops laughing.

Naomi just shrugs and flips her hair. I'll probably never really understand her. She's mean and sarcastic and rude but sometimes sassy and cool and….

"Freak," I hear Naomi shout. "Get off my boot!"

I peer under the table, and see Cheryl's arm pulling at her leg. I hear someone snicker, and Cheryl returns to the surface, right before us, grinning. Layla is giggling even harder now.

"What the hell," Naomi snarls. "Tell your ghost to lay off, Shirley."

Layla punches Cheryl playfully in the arm, laughing even harder. "Good one, Cheryl!"

I'm not really one hundred percent sure, but I think Layla is growing on Cheryl. Even though she acts like a toddler. Whenever Layla talks to her Cheryl just smiles awkwardly and shrug it off. Maybe she feels guilty about fighting her? Layla never really holds a grudge, unlike her, though.

"Sit. You're just in time for some brownies." I tell Cheryl, patting the chair next to me gently.

"Thanks." She says awkwardly.

"So, this _thing_ is called 'Cheryl'?" Naomi says in a snotty voice.

"_Thing?_ Seriously, bitch? Even though I'm a ghost, doesn't mean I don't have _feelings_." Cheryl roars.

Layla just shrugs and throw a scrunched up tissue at Cheryl. "Hey! I'm pretty sure it's just a little misunderstanding. Nothing to make a big fuss about."

Naomi and Cheryl snort in unison, while Layla and I exchange "What-the-hell?" glances.

"Sisters, much?" I mumble under my breath. I feel Cheryl's body stiffening next to me.

"You mean you guys_ are_ sisters?" Layla says jokingly.

I look over at her, and Cheryl looks nervous. "Is there something you aren't telling me?" I ask.

Cheryl eyes Naomi, who seems seriously confused, before letting out a long sigh. "I'm not sure."

I toss and turn, but it takes hours before I finally get sleepy.

I'm sleeping on Cheryl's bed, Layla curled up next to me. Naomi is sleeping on the floor, yet again. There's so many things I want to ask Cheryl. Like, how come her eyes aren't blue? And how did she get this house? Is she somehow related to Naomi? What does she have to do with Griffin? Why did she ever need that dagger? Why is her blanket so thin?

I tug at the blanket Cheryl must of knitted, and it turns out Layla is one heavy toddler. It's going to be a long night.

At around midnight, I hear a tap at the window. I sit up abruptly, causing Layla to moan "No more brownies, Shirley." softly.

I roll off the bed, onto the cold floor. I walk over to the small window, and catch a glimpse of black hair. "Griffin?" I whisper into the darkness. I peep outside, but it seems no one's there. Hmm, too bad. I press my face against the cold glass, and a little cloud of condensation appears.

I crawl back to bed, feeling a little disappointed. I can't be imagining things, can I? I snuggle back into my pillow, trying to fall asleep.

"Shirley? You okay?"

I turn around expecting Layla waking up for some water or something. Instead, I see Naomi peeping her head from under the table.

"I'm fine." I say, using my most reassuring voice. At least, I hope I used it.

Naomi stares at me for a while, and even though her eyes were very bleary, I could tell she seemed very skeptical. "You suck at lying." She says, before falling back into a deep sleep.

I hear the sound of sheets rustling, water flowing from a tap.

I open my eyes and let them adjust to the bright sunshine. Naomi is sitting by the table cross legged, reading a dog eared and dusty book.

"Where's Layla?" I ask Naomi, rubbing my eyes gently.

Naomi moves around in her seat, flipping pages. "I think she's outside. Getting flowers or something."

"Flowers?" I ask, scrambling out of bed. I grab my hoodie off the floor of slip it on hastily.

"Woah," Naomi says, eying me as I'm halfway to the door. "What's the rush?"

I slam the door shut, ignoring her question. "Layla! _LAYLA!_" I shouted.

"What the hell?" I hear Naomi complain from the tiny window. I turn around and give her a nasty look. Naomi mumbles something under her breath and suddenly my feet are bolted to the ground. "You can't go around shouting like that." She continued. "It'll make us look like tourists."

"Cancel out your spell!" I shouted. She just rolled her eyes and mumbled another spell. "Mmmpf!" I try to shout, but my words come out all muffled. "Namffi!"

"Shush." Naomi put her fingers to her lips. "I can't help you if you don't be quiet."

I tried to say "How can I be quiet when you keep casting spells on me?" but it turned out completely inaudible.

Naomi just shrugs. She opens the door slightly before pulling on my arm, tugging me into the house. She mumbles some more and my feet and move again.

"Hell yeah," I whisper. "I can move again. And talk."

"Now, what's up?" Naomi asks casually, sitting down.

"The ceiling." I joke.

"Seriously,"

"Layla went out picking _flowers_?"

"What's so bad about that?"

"Doesn't she know how dangerous it is here?"

"Dangerous?"

"It's _Orbis_. And she went without her wand."

"Whatever. She's not a baby anymore. She can take care of herself."

"How would you know?" I ask her, getting impatient.

Naomi points to her eyes. "I can do more than throw stars, okay."

"Okay," I nod, and watch as she closes her eyes slowly.

"She's fine. She's just chasing after some butterflies." Naomi says slowly, after a while.

"How do you know?"

"As I've said. I can do more than kick your ass." Naomi laughed.

"FYI, I actually won the last time." I say.

"_The last time,_"

Info: Woah, just noticed they're only 3 other people in this chapter. Cue mini applause for me finishing this in a week. Kind of.

Review if you liked it! I'd love to hear any suggestions, cause I'm a newbie writer. :D

People who've Appeared in this Chapter (In Order):

Shirley (Level 70 Hermit) Age 13

Naomi (Level 165 Nightwalker) Age 17

Layla (Level 123 Fire/Poison Mage) Age 16

Cheryl (?) Age 17


	5. Chapter 5

Written by phoebesmiles

A/N: AHH! I actually finished writing this chapter so long ago, but my computer ate up all my files and I had to rewrite EVERYTHING. GGAH. Frustration takes over.

I DO NOT OWN MAPLE STORY! NEXON DOES!

Chapter 5: Griffin

I sit in a tiny but posh café in town named Cure, sipping expensive tea. God, my obsession with tea is getting worse.

"Would you like anything, miss?" A tall, blond waitress in a brown pinafore comes up to me.

"Oh, it's okay. I'm fine." I say awkwardly. This is the second time I've been asked this, probably cause I've been here for almost three hours already.

The waitress walks away, her long skirt swaying, her feet moving one in front of the other. Sigh. I've always dreamed about being that suave, that elegant….

"Hey," A low voice interrupts my thought.

"Hey," I say turning around in my seat. "Griffin."

He leans towards me and kisses me on the lips. "Surprised?" He whispers against my mouth.

I just ignore his question and lean into him.

"Excuse me, miss. This is a _family_ café." The blond waitress clears her throat, sounding impatient.

I pull apart from him as if he burned me. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…" I blabber, heat rising to my cheeks. I turn towards Griffin, and he looks pretty amused.

"That wasn't funny."

"Yeah, it was." Griffin grins, and I can't help by laugh. It was a_ little_ funny.

"I missed you." I whisper, pulling out a seat for him.

"I missed you too." He says, hugging me tightly. He smells like strawberry cake, and old teddy bears. He smells like….Ludibrium.

"Was it you tapping on the door last night?" I ask him, munching on a scone.

"You could say that." He smiles, pouring me more tea.

"Why didn't you come in? I was awake, you know."

"….I didn't think it would be a good time. And I wanted to surprise you." He grins.

"So, why are you here in Orbis?" I ask.

"Just felt like coming by. I love this place." He tells me, spreading some jam on his scone. "Why are _you_ here?"

"A job," I say, short and simple.

"Is it over?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I thought we could hang out. Get to know each other."

[line]

We moved, this time to an old vintage clothing store.

"Are we even allowed to do this?" I whisper, as Griffin drags me into an aisle with loads of floral dresses. The kind of dresses Layla would love.

"It's not like we're doing anything illegal, right?" He says, grabbing a few dresses off the racks randomly.

"But we could get kicked out!" I say, trying to reason with him.

"Then let's enjoy it while we can." He says slyly.

He pulls my arm, dragging me down a narrow hallway and into a changing room.

"Try these on." He says, handing me a blue dress he picked out. "Seriously."

As I cannot resist his boyish charm, I just shrug. "But you have to get out first." I say.

"Aww, I knew you would say that." Griffin laughs. I give him a nasty glare and he raises his hands, surrendering. "I'm going! I'm going!"

I lock the door, just in case he's gonna try something funny. I slip off my pink striped sweater and pull on the blue dress Griffin picked out for me. The dress is made of cotton, so it's really comfortable. It extends just above my knees, and it has a long black ribbon in the middle. I look at the wall-to-wall mirrors, and I think I look good. Like, really good. The black ribbon gives me sort of a hourglass figure, which is better than looking like a prepubescent boy..

I hear a tapping at the door, and then someone clearing his throat. "Down here!" Griffin whispers, sliding a pair of ruby red slippers through the tiny opening. "Size 8, hope they fit!"

"How do you know what size I wear?" I ask.

"Lucky guess." He says casually.

I just smile and put the slippers on. "Fits like a glove!"

I open the door and Griffin is leaning against the wall, pretending to do a drum roll.

"What do you think?" I ask him, doing a little twirl.

Griffin grabs my hand. "I think you look great. Really beautiful, actually." He grins, before kissing me on the cheek. My heart speeds up a little.

"Thank y…" I stop in the middle of my sentence. "Are you wearing a suit?" I ask, eyeing his getup.

"Glad you noticed." He laughs, raising his eyebrows.

"Very funny." I grin. Griffin stares at me for a moment before telling me to turn around. I turn obediently, and I can feel his hands moving around my waist. "What are y-you doing?"

"There ya' go." He whispers, twirling me around again. I look into the mirrors, and he tied the black ribbon into a cute bow.

"Aw, thank you." I smile.

"Come on, let's try on another one."

"So you can kiss me again?" I joke.

"I don't need to wear a suit every time I want to kiss you, right?" He whispers, his mouth an inch away from mine.

"Hey, Shirley. Didn't know ya' had a boyfriend." A familiar voice snickers from behind me.

"Naomi! And, uh, Layla! What are you guys doing here?" I improvise. Naomi is standing at the entrance to the changing rooms, clearly unimpressed. Layla is standing behind her, seeming embarrassed, carrying about a dozen shopping bags.

"We were just walking around. We didn't mean to intrude, right Naomi?" Layla says hurriedly. "Nice dress, by the way." She adds.

"Who's your friend?" Naomi asks, crossing her arms.

"Griffin," He says while bowing in front of them. "And you must be Naomi Grayson." He says, kissing her hand lightly. I have to admit I'm a little jealous right now. "You, fine maiden, must be Layla, yes?" He says to Layla, twirling her around. Naomi just blushes while Layla giggles like a baby.

He pulls me closer to him and wraps his fingers around mine tightly. Somehow he always knows what to do.

"So, is he your boyfriend?" Naomi persists.

I exchange glances with Griffin, and he decides to take the lead. "Yeah, she's my girlfriend." He says confidently. Naomi seems satisfied, but I feel like exploding.

"When was I ever your girlfriend?" I whisper to him once they leave.

"You mean you don't want to be my girlfriend?" He asks, amused.

"I do, I just…."

"Just, what?" He teases me.

[line]

I sit by the table back at Cheryl's home, picking at a plate of mashed potatoes and sausages.

"Do you love it, or do you _love_ it?" Layla asks me.

"It's….nice." I manage, wolfing down a sausage to prove it.

"Good. It's been so long since I cooked with a stove." She smiles.

"With a stove?" I ask.

"Yeah, I prefer cooking with my own flame. But Ariel says it's dangerous, so I try not to anymore." She snaps her fingers and a flame appears in her palm. "Want me to heat that up for you? It's getting cold."

"N-No, I'm okay." I gush.

We stare at each other in silence, before Layla breaks the ice. "We're like, friends, right?"

"Of course."

"Then why don't we have like, heart-to-hearts?" She suggests.

"Heart-to-hearts?" I whisper, stirring around lumpy potatoes with my fork.

"Yeah, like tell me about your boyfriend Jeff. He is your boyfriend, right? Or is this just a casual fling or something." She asks, leaning towards me anxiously.

I bite my lip. "I do like him. I'm not sure where our….relationship is going. I don't think it's a casual fling."

"Then tell me about him."

"Okay, he's fourteen, he has green eyes, he…" I start.

"Don't give me a description. Tell _me_ about _him._" She cuts me off.

"What do you mean?" I ask, truly confused.

"His past girlfriends, is he still a virgin, have you met his parents yet…" Layla goes on.

"I…don't know any of his past girlfriends. Or whether he's a virgin. He's fourteen. How much action could he be having at that age? And he's never mentioned his parents to me before…" I say. Now that I think about it, I don't know much about Griffin at all.

"You do need to know these things. Being in a relationship isn't exactly a walk in the park. Unless you two _do_ walk in a park, which I personally wouldn't, cause it's just so cliché. And fourteen year olds do get it on. I know that for a fact." She says, like she's giving a lecture.

"You mean, you've had sex when you were fourteen?" I whisper, amazed.

"Of course not. What do you take me as, a two-cent hooker?"

[line]

"Took your time." Griffin greets me, pulling out a chair.

"Sorry," I apologize. "I was on the way here, when I found this."

Griffin eyes the flyer I just handed him. "A ball?"

"Yeah, I was wondering if you want to go." I ask him.

"Sure. I'll meet you at half past seven." He says, before ordering me a big slab of chocolate cake from the passing waitress.

"Don't you dare be late." I warn him.

"I won't." He promises.

We sit by our table, spreading clotted cream and jam onto our little scones.

"Have you ever had sex?" I ask suddenly, so quietly I'm afraid he didn't hear it.

"Excuse me?" He asks, his scone halfway to his mouth.

Screw my life. "Have you ever had sex?" I repeat, making myself a little louder.

"You want to know?" Griffin asks, leaning towards me.

"Yes," I whisper. "Very much."

"No, I've never had sex." He whispers, looking amused.

"Thank God. My friend told me that fourteen year olds get some action and she knows about being a virgin and I'm not making any sense right now and whatever!" I blabber in relief.

Griffin just raises one of his eyebrows. "Let me get this straight, your friend told me she had sex with me?"

"No! That's not what I meant." I say hurriedly.

"It's okay, I know what you meant." He chuckles. "Just messing with you."

I throw a scone at him. "Oh, and, how many past girlfriends have you had?" I ask, remembering what Layla told me.

"You're my second girlfriend." He says, brushing crumbs off his face. "My first girlfriend was a girl named Miranda. She was very nice….until she cheated on me." He smiles sadly.

Crap. "Sorry, I must of made you uncomfortable." I apologize.

"It's okay." He says, wiping off a smudge of jam off the side of my lip.

"T-Thanks," I mumble. I can literally feel a ghost of a blush creep onto my face. Pfft.

"How many boyfriends have you had?" Griffin asks.

"You're lucky number one." I grin.

He laughs and winks at me. "I'm so honoured."

[line]

I'm standing in front of the mirror, Layla sitting on the bed behind me, trying on dress after dress.

"So, what ar ye dresses for?" Layla says, sucking on a lollipop she found out of Naomi's bag.

"I'm going to a ball tonight, and I borrowed a few dresses from that clothes store to try out." I say, tossing a bright orange one back onto the bed.

"Borrowed?" Layla asks, burrowing her brows like she's deep in thought. "Oooh, and that orange dress would be totally lush with my black pumps.

"Not exactly borrowed. Kind of rented. But I can send the extras back for free as long as I don't keep them for too long." I say, putting on a baby blue gown.

"Oooh, that's really nice." Layla nods.

"Thanks. It looks a little like the one Griffin picked out for me yesterday too." I mumble.

I look into the mirror, and I see a girl. A decently tall girl, with a big mess of curly light auburn hair sitting on her head. Her eyes are blue, and tastefully scattered across her nose are freckles. Her lips look slightly chapped even though she just slathered them with Bubblegum Pink lip gloss.

In the background, sits another girl on a bed. A pretty girl, and unlike the other girl's, her hair is perfectly in place, curling gently where it tumbles down her shoulders. Her face is freckle-free and her lips are plump. Her emerald eyes are skillfully lined with plum eyeliner.

"Hey, Layla." I ask suddenly. "Why don't you have a boyfriend? I mean, you're kinda hot."

Layla giggles. "Thank you. But I haven't found the perfect boy for me yet."

"Why not?"

Layla takes a moment to think. "I'm….not sure. People say I'm too weird. A freak." She mumbles, her lips quivering. She looks like she's going to burst into tears.

I pull her close to me and hug her tight. "Who said that? You're not weird. You're not a freak, either. You're just….different. Special." I whisper into her hair.

Layla pulls apart a bit and wipes her eyes on her sleeve. "Thanks…I needed that. You're way better at comforting people than _Naomi._" She says.

I prize her frown into a smile and pat her head. "Speaking of Naomi, where is she? I haven't seen her all day."

"Oh, she said something about going out with some mystery date." Layla says, cheering up a bit.

"Mystery date?"

[line]

I'm standing on the pavement outside of the café in my ball gown. Oh, and my giant trench coat to cover everything up because it seems like it's gonna drizzle soon. After a long discussion with Layla, I've finally decided on the outfit. Under my brown trench coat is a strapless baby blue ball gown, cotton, which extends all the way to my ankles. I have heart stud earrings on, red ballet slippers Layla lent me, and a little black clutch just to liven it up a bit.

"Hello miss, would you like one?" A young girl comes up to me with a tray of chocolate chip cookies. Her brown hair is done up in bunches, and her rosy cheeks make her look totally cute.

"Urgh…" I hesitate. I mean, I don't know what could be in there. Razors? Drugs? Poison?

"Come on. I need money for a bicycle! Just gimme fifty mesos already." The little girl whines.

"Okay, okay." I say, handing her the money. She hands me a still warm cookie and runs off to disturb some other pedestrian. Nice kid.

I look around, and the streets are almost empty now. The only people I see is the couple making out across the street. I hear the sound of high heels clicking against the hard pavement, and by impulse I turn to see who it is.

"Naomi?"

"Oh, hey, Shirley." She mumbles. She eyes my outfit before snorting. "Where you going in _that_? Secret mission? Perhaps retrieving some confidential info in some car park?"

"Actually, I'm going to a ball." I boast. "And where are _you_ going in that? Pole dancing?" She's wearing a black Betty Boop style dress. Which is low-cut and very , _very_ short.

"Pfft. Say all you want." She says. "I'm actually here to meet someone."

"Who? Your "mystery" date?"

"Actually, Griffin. He called and told me to meet him." She shrugs, pulling the café doors open.

"W-Wait, what?" I grab her arm.

"Look, little _princess_. He told me you were just a little pawn in his guild's plan. Seriously, you're _slow _for a Hermit_._"

"Excuse me?" I whisper, gripping her arm tighter.

"Here, I recorded it." She fishes her phone out of her little clutch.

"_Hey, Naomi, right? Want to go to a ball tomorrow?"_ Griffin's voice says.

"_Aren't you _Shirley's _boyfriend?" Naomi snorts._

"_Whatever. She's just part of the plan." _

"_What plan?"_

"_That's a secret. Meet me at that café tomorrow at seven."_

The recording ends and Naomi shakes my hand off her arm.

"Wait," I whisper, holding on to her arm again. "This is a joke, right? It's a joke, isn't it?"

"Get off of me!" She shoves me aside. "Why don't you ask your boyfriend."

"B-But Griffin wouldn't do that to me." I mumble. "He wouldn't want to hurt me. Not like that."

She gives me a long and sad look. "How well do you actually know him?" She asks before entering the café, to meet Griffin, who I stupidly didn't notice was already inside, supposedly.

Suddenly I hear thunder, and it starts to drizzle. The rain pelts against my head, making my hair, which I just spent half an hour and half a bottle of hair products to get it smooth, turn into rat tails. The couple across the street ducks indoors, holding hands, leaving me alone in all my misery. I touch my face, and it's all wet. With the rain, not with tears, I swear. I stare into the frosted windows of the café, and see the blurry image of a brunette flirting with my boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend? I don't know. Relationships are so confusing.

"How well do you actually know him?" Naomi's voice rings in my left ear.

"Griffin's not who he appears to be!" Cheryl's warning in the other.

Now that I think about him, I don't know him at all.

[line]

_**Modern Ball**_

_All teenagers and young adults are welcomed!_

_Bring your significant other, or just come alone for a good time_

_Tomorrow, 8 pm sharp_

_Be seeing you there._

[end]

Info: As I've said above, frustration! Finally managed to rewrite it, though. (sigh of relief) This chapter is kinda shorter than the others. Quality over quantity, perhaps?

Griffin, aged 14, dark hair and green eyes, your average good guy? Maybe not.

**Review if you liked it! I'd love to hear any suggestions, cause I'm a newbie writer. :D**

Btw, I got rid of the 'People who've Appeared in this Chapter' crap cause I'm getting to tired of memorizing (much less making up) someone's job and level and blah blah blah. ._.


	6. Chapter 6

Written by phoebesmiles

A/N: Merry Christmas, everyone! :D It's time to play guess the voices!

I DO NOT OWN MAPLE STORY! NEXON DOES!

Chapter 6: Missa-chan!

"Wake up, Shirley!"

"Get up already, fat ass."

"I made pancakes for you!"

"They taste like crap."

"Do you know how hard it is to cook with one hand and heat the pan with the other?"

"Is that even sanitary?"

"Who said that?"

"You can hear her?"

"Who? That ghost bitch?"

"Shh…She can hear you!"

"Oh, whatever."

"Wake up, Shirs!"

I feel someone rocking my bed. I open my eyes a little, and I'm surrounded by Naomi, Layla, and Cheryl.

"Good morning, Shirley!" Layla grins at me, dragging me out of bed and to the coffee table.

"Good morning." I say sluggishly. Cheryl takes a seat next to me, seeming to not notice the pink and lacey tablecloth Layla bought.

Layla drops a big plate of pancakes in front of me, with butter and maple syrup and everything. "Thanks, Layla." I mumble. "Sorry I didn't wake up earlier to cook."

"It's okay." She says, all cheery. "It's fun to cook. Naomi helped me too!"

Naomi.

"I didn't help!" Naomi screams from the bed.

"She bought eggs. And they were out in town, so she went all the way to _Aqua_ Road to buy eggs." Layla giggles.

"Aqua Road? Didn't even know they have eggs there." Cheryl says, ignoring the grinding sound coming from me.

"Yeah, she's so awesome." I whisper.

Cheryl stares at me for a moment. "What's up?"

I don't know how to answer that.

"Why don't you ask that bitch." I mumble, pointing to Naomi, who's reading a magazine on the bed innocently.

"Let me guess, Griffin?" She asks in a low voice.

"You knew?" I ask, raising my voice a little. "It would have been helpful to get a heads up, you know."

"..…I did give you a heads up, remember?" She says in a small voice, avoiding my icy gaze.

If I wasn't totally pissed off, I would have felt guilty. Seriously, I would have.

"What are you so pissed at?" Naomi asks, getting up to pour herself a glass of water.

My hand inches to slap her. "Like you wouldn't know." I sneer.

Naomi grabs my hand, and I can feel her long black nails digging into my flesh. "I did what I had to do." She whispers, her face inches from mine.

"You mean having your tongue down his throat?" I say, staring into her soulless dark eyes. Somehow both of us don't need any explanation to know who 'he' is.

Her grip on my arm tightens. "I did what I had to do." She repeats, raising her voice. "You have no right to question me because **you **have the _luxury _of not knowing what I do for your sake. What I did is hardly any of your business. You don't know him. You'll. Never . Know. Him."

"What did you do?" I shout.

"I did what I had to do." She shouts back. "If I didn't have done it, you would of fallen in _love_ with _him._"

"What. Did. You. Do?" I shout again.

Layla and Cheryl just sit by the table, gazing at us in awe.

I turn back to Naomi, and she's still staring at me with her icy stare.

"What did you do?" I ask, my voice just a whisper.

Naomi loosens her grip on my arm a little. "Miranda Grayson." She whispers. "Ring a bell?"

"Griffin's first girlfriend?"

"My big sister, actually." She blows against my nose and I pull apart from her.

"She cheated on him." I said, disgusted.

Naomi raises her hand and slaps me hard across the jaw.

"Naomi!" Layla shrieks.

I glance over at Cheryl, who's still sitting calmly, unfazed, cutting up her pancakes.

"My sister never cheated on that asshole." Naomi shouts at me, tears forming in her eyes. She walks towards me, and I stumble and fall onto the bed. "_He_ cheated on _her_."

"W-With who?" I whisper.

Naomi smiles sadly and points to her chest. I open my mouth but no words come out.

"I know what you're thinking. Trust me, Griffin isn't fourteen." She rages on.

"How old is he?" I ask.

"He's old." She says, emphasizing on the world 'old'. "He's nineteen."

"You're kidding me, right?" I say, raising one of my eyebrows.

She grabs my collar and pulls me closer to her. "Do I look like I'm kidding?" She whispers.

I hesitate for a moment. "No,"

[line]

During the past few weeks that I've been staying in a small house with both Layla and Naomi (and sometimes Cheryl), I've checked out almost every café and restaurant in the city. Except a small one just a few blocks from where we're living. The only reason we're still living at Cheryl's is cause the next train back to Leafre is next week, and Naomi still believes that the house is practically hers. Or ours. I wouldn't know.

I open the door, and my lungs fill up with the smell of freshly baked cakes and turpentine. Reminds me of the guild, in a funny way. I pull out a chair and take a seat. It's…nice. The curtains are white and lacy, the café is girly and cute.

"Hello, miss." A tall waitress, probably at least a little Asian comes up to me. She has long black hair and big, sparkly hazel eyes. Unlike the posh café I keep going to, the waitresses here are dressed less conservative and more….cute. "Here's our menu. Take your time browsing through it." She smiles at me, before ducking into the kitchen.

She's cute. I mean, she looks hot. In her pink mini skirt, her white lacy apron which extends all the way to her knees and white blouse, she looked totally hot. Even though she's probably double my age. Oh God, I sound like a total perv right now.

I glance around, and it's relatively empty. The only customers here, other than me, is an elderly couple sitting in the corner, feeding each other bits of biscotti…Cute.

I flip through the menu, eyeing the cute hand-drawn drawings along the pages. I wonder if the waitresses drew that. And I guess it's pretty affordable. Two thousand mesos for a small pot of tea with free refills? Awesome.

I call for a waitress to order.

[line]

"Hello, miss." The waitress with black hair says, clearing my table. "Would you…like anything else?" She asks. "You've been here for quite some time."

Every café. Is it that unusual for a thirteen year old redhead to sit around sipping tea and daydreaming for longer than an hour?

"Uhm, I'm fine." I smile at her. I watch her grin back, and brush her hair behind her ears.

"Are those….Half earrings?" I ask her in a hushed tone.

"Oh, yes." She says awkwardly, fingering her earlobes. "I'm in a guild, you see."

"Me too!" I say, showing her my ears. "Ariel, right?"

She seems surprised, then confused. She pulls a chair out from under the table and takes a seat.

"I didn't know Ariel would let such a little one join!" She chuckles, observing me.

"I wasn't sure if she was going to let me in, too. But I passed the entrance exam anyway." I boast. Do I look _that_ weak?

"Wow, that's pretty awesome. I barely survived the Level 2 exam." She says.

"I'm Shirley, by the way. Hermit newbie." I say, sticking out my hand for her to shake.

She grips my hand tightly and I can feel her long pink nails digging into my flesh. Ouch. It's still a bit sore from Naomi's black nails.

"Missa," She says, letting go of my hand. "You're a Hermit?"

Uh, didn't I just say so? "Yeah," I reply, rubbing my hand under the table.

"Oh my God. You don't know how long my team has been looking for a rogue! All the good ones were taken up already!" She suddenly stops halfway. "What do you think? I'm sure you'll fit right in in our team. You'll love it." She says, emphasizing on the word 'love'.

"Sorry, I'm already in a team." I say awkwardly.

"Nah, it's okay." She says, clearly a little disappointed. "So, who's in your team?" She asks.

"Layla and…Naomi." I hesitate a little to mention her name. What a bitch she is.

"Naomi? As in, Naomi Grayson?" She repeats, in case I was talking about some other Naomi.

I nod, and her expression softens.

"Poor chap. I don't know much about her, but she's not that nice, is she?" She says.

Urgh, I think I would know pretty well.

"I guess so." I shrug.

She thinks for a moment. "The think that puzzles me is, Naomi has been in the guild for like…. 8 years. Even though she's a bitch, her fighting ability is tremendous for her age. She's gotten dozens of offers throughout the years, even from other guilds. Why did she join yours?"

Holy crap. Naomi passed the entrance exams at the age of ten?

"Yeah, she did. She went through Level 3, too." Missa says, like she can read my mind.

The entrance examinations into Ariel are no joke. They're separated into 3 levels, and you can pick which one you want according to your strength and ability.

"My God. You sure it wasn't rigged?" I joke.

"No way. Ariel wouldn't do something like that." She says.

"So…How do you get into Higher Class?" I ask her. I've always wanted to know, but no one wants to tell me anything.

"To get into Higher Class, you have to beat a senior member. You get to pick who you want to fight, too." She tells me, pouring herself a cup of tea. "You don't mind, right?"

"Oh, it's okay." I smile. "Carry on."

"I picked to fight against Hannah. You know, the dorm house supervisor, cause I thought she'll be easy. I mean, she's like more than double my age and retired and all. But it took me like, 3 tries."

"You can try more than once?" I ask.

"Sure! But one try is like a whole hour. Try spending three hours with some old hag telling me to take my shoes off all the time." She goes on.

"The horror." I joke. "So, who did Naomi fight?" I ask out of curiosity.

"She challenged Ariel." Missa says casually.

"No wonder she won." I roll my eyes.

"She didn't. Ariel wouldn't allow her. So she went for Luke, Ariel's lil bro, a.k.a. her uncle. I heard rumours that she beat him within 20 minutes." She whispers.

"Woah," I breathe.

"Oh, I've already said too much." She laughs.

"No, it's okay. It's nice to learn…about other guild members." I improvise. I mean, she's the first person to ever let me in to this stuff. It's like an Ariel goldmine.

"So, how come Layla isn't in Higher Class yet? Is it because she's too…soft?" I ask. She's like my guild directory now.

"Too soft? Don't make me laugh. That girl is brutal. Even more than Naomi." She says. Somehow she can stretch the word 'brutal' into three syllables. B-ru-tal.

"What do you mean? I watched her fight against Naomi before, and she lost." I ask, confused.

"Of course she lost. She can't bear to fight her friends. That's why she could never pass the Higher Class test. She just won't." Missa shrugs. "You should have seen her after her entrance exam, a few years ago. She went for Level 3, and when she came out she was all smiles. I heard she even squealed that she wanted to go again!" Missa continues. God, she sure knows how to talk a lot.

"That explains a lot." I say, nodding thoughtfully. That's why she hesitated to fully go against Cheryl. She looks just like me.

"Yeah, and I heard that. Yes, I probably do talk a lot." Missa says, sipping more tea.

"Oh, sorry." I mumble, avoiding her gaze. "What, are you a mind reader?" I ask.

"Actually, yes. I'm pretty sure you noticed that all us Higher Classmen are granted a special ability."

"And Naomi can spy on people?" I blurt, remembering how she managed to 'see' what Layla was doing.

"You could say that." She shrugs. "As long as she can imagine how the person looks, she can focus her magic and see what they're doing. Although, it's hard to master and drains your power fast."

"So she can just do it, on whoever she wants?" I ask.

"Not really. I know a few mages who have cancelation magic. And if the mage is aware that someone is spying on them, they can easily break contact." She goes on.

"And your skill is…mind reading?"

"Yes. I picked it cause it's useful. In life and in battle." She grins. "Oh, and it helps me with my job. Some customers are just so indecisive…" She trails off.

"You could pick….any skill?"

"Almost. Any skill that Ariel allows, anyway. Nothing possibly evil, obviously." She blabbers.

"Could you pick….The ability to create a duplicate of yourself?" I ask.

"Sure, why not?" She smiles, draining her cup of tea.

"How about…time travel?"

"Maybe? Why do you want to know?" She asks, confused.

"Missa-chan! Your break is up!" Someone shouts from the kitchen.

"Sorry, got to run." She says, standing up. "Chat soon, kay?"

"Bye," I say, waving awkwardly. "….Missa-chan."

[line]

I trudge around town, bored. There's nothing really to do here, and I've already been to all the cafes and restaurants in town. Geez, what I'd give for someone to entertain me right about now.

"Fresh bread! Hand-kneaded bread! It's really good!" A little girl shouts next to the road. Wait, isn't that cute pigtailed girl who sold me a cookie? She's selling bread by the side of the street now?

"Hey, little gal. Still waiting for that bike?" I greet her. This time her hair is in a tight braid and she's wearing a cute blue and pink jumper.

"Yeah," she grins, revealing two rows of slightly crooked, but perfectly white teeth. But her grin fades quick when she notices I'm not responding. "If you're not buying anything, scoot. You're scaring possible customers." She snaps.

"Don't worry, I won't stay long." I say, gazing at the mound of warm bread on her little foldable table. "You baked these yourself?" I ask.

The little girl nods. "My foster mom helped a bit, though."

"Foster mom?" I ask on impulse.

"Yeah," she shrugs. "For now, anyway. They never really stick around long. Her name is Jessy and she's really nice. Now are you going to buy any bread or what?"

"You're….an orphan?" I whisper.

"Yes. I don't think most parents would allow they're 8 year old daughters to sell baked goods by the side of the street. Hurry up, I don't have all day." She snorts.

"How much for this?" I ask, holding up a loaf of white bread.

She stares at me, crossing her skinny arms to her chest."1500 mesos."

Okay, that's not too bad. I mean, it's going to a good cause, isn't it? Orphan who needs a bike. I fish out the cash from my purse and hand it over to her gingerly.

"Thanks, ma'am." She says, grinning at me. She wraps the loaf up in some sort of paper before packing it up in a plastic bag.

"What's your name, by the way?" I ask. Hey, I'm a regular customer of hers. I have the right to know. Kind of.

"Alice," she says, chucking the bag at me roughly.

"Thanks," I smile sweetly at her, and walk away.

[line]

I open the door to the house and dump the bread on the table. I glance into my purse and I only have three thousand mesos left. Damn it. How am I going to survive on this? I don't know when I'll ever get to go on a job. An actual job, which pays.

"Need some cash?" Someone says from behind me.

I turn quickly and Cheryl is lying across the bed, wearing only a thin camisole and a pair of black knickers.

"What the hell are you wearing?" I hiss, grabbing a towel off the floor and tossing it at her.

"What's wrong? I mean, we have the same body, right?" She says, standing up slowly. "Although our cup sizes are probably different." She shrugs, pulling at my blouse collar and peering in.

"Hey!" I shriek, hitting her hand sharply. "What are you, a pedophile?"

"Oh, whatever. It's not like I _groped _you." She sneers. "And why would I? That would be like, touching my_self_. And I'm not _that_ vain."

"Don't make me puke." I pretend to gag.

"Anyway, what size are you? Double A? No wonder Griffin dumped you." She jokes, filling a big bowl up with steaming hot chicken soup. Is that the only thing she can cook?

"Griffin didn't dump me." I groan, taking a seat next to her. "Can I have some soup too, bitch?" I ask, resting my chin on my hand.

"There you go. Shirley specialty." She says, pushing a bowl of soup in front of me.

"Shirley specialty? Isn't this your recipe?" I ask.

Cheryl just snorts. "Don't be stupid, Shirs. When you get into Higher Class, you can have your own 'codename'. Like, renaming yourself so you sound awesomer."

So I renamed myself _Cheryl_? How lame was that. Cool move, future me. And how come it seems like Higher Classmen get everything? Cool powers, cool names? What else, matching suits?

"So you mean, Naomi isn't Naomi?" I wonder.

"I wouldn't know. Her name could be George for all I care." She says lamely.

"Isn't she, technically your teammate, too?" I ask. "And this soup is pretty good." I add.

She goes quiet for moment, like she's searching for the right words.

"Naomi and I broke off years ago." She says.

"Because she's a bitch?" I suggest.

She just shakes her head solemnly. "…It's a long story."

"I have time. Tell me." I say, nudging her shoulder.

"Next time." She says, winking at me.

[end]

Info: Uploaded it just in time for Christmas! Really glad about that. :) Hope everyone has a safe and fun weekend. Personally, I don't believe in Santa, but if you do, go get some cookies and milk or something. ROFL.

Introducing Missa-chan, a Hero who lives on (mainly) waitressing jobs. She's really good at carving the roast chicken and stuff. I'm not Japanese or anything, so I'm sorry if I got the name thing (Ggag, I'm so ignorant about these things) wrong. I'm still a little blur between '-kun' and '-chan' and '-sama' and bleh. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

**Review if you liked it! I'd love to hear any suggestions, cause I'm a newbie writer. :D**


	7. Chapter 7

Written by phoebesmiles

A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR! (Confetti explosion) Oh, and Happy CNY to my fellow Chinese readers. If I actually have any. XD Too lazy to think of what to write here. I'm not exactly Shakespeare.

I DO NOT OWN MAPLE STORY! NEXON DOES!

Chapter 8: Naomi Grayson, the Receptionist

We get off the big blue bird, and into the station.

"Finally back in Leafre." Layla gushes, dragging her luggage over the overgrown vines.

Naomi, dressed all in red again, just shrugs. "Guess so. It's been like, two weeks."

I take a deep breath, inhaling the Leafre air I've been longing for. "Missed the air here."

"Hurry up!" Someone shouts from behind us.

Naomi turns around sharply. "What the hell is your problem?"

"Woah," I breathe, turning around.

He just rolls his eyes. "Whatever," He says.

Layla knocks into me gently, on purpose. "He's haaawwwt!" She whispers.

I nod, noticing his spiky brown hair, his blue cat-like eyes, his calm demeanor. Oh, and his black trench coat.

"I-It's okay. Really. It's fine." Naomi says hurriedly, her face flushing an attractive shade of beetroot red.

"Look at that! Looks like Naomi li-kes him!" Layla whispers into my ear.

He shrugs, putting his hands into his pockets. "Bye," He starts walking in the opposite direction.

Naomi runs after him. "W-Wait! I didn't get your name!"

He turns around, but continues walking. Backwards, but still. "Train," He says, grinning mischievously.

"Train," Naomi repeats, stopping in her tracks.

"She looks really moon struck. Last time I checked, when did Naomi turn into that type?" Layla asks me.

"I'm….Not sure."

[line]

We're sitting in the new dining room at the guild, talking. Well, kinda. I pick at a plate of mashed potatoes, listening to Naomi go on and on about….You know.

"He asked me out! Can you believe that?" She squeals, her cheeks all rosy and sickening.

The only reason I invited her here to have lunch with me is because I thought we could use some closure on the whole Griffin thing. But no. Right after Hannah dumped some grub in front of us and chatted a little bit, she started talking. And talking.

"That's…great." I say lamely.

Naomi told me that she so coincidentally met him again somewhere in town. But in reality, I'm pretty sure she's spying the hell out of that guy and just knew he was going to be there. One word, desperation.

Naomi takes a big gulp of ice tea before continuing her speech. "And he's _so_ hot. I mean, he's so _handsome_. And he's pretty sweet, too."

I wish Layla were here. She said she's off heating someone's shower. I mean, she's not exactly my ideal friend. But at least she's down to earth when I need her to be. And I would probably enjoy someone to pretend to enjoy this conversation with me.

"Look," she grins, showing me a Polaroid picture of her and…Train in the park or something. But I wouldn't know, since most of Leafre looks like an overgrown park. They're sitting on this bench, his arm around her shoulders. I mean, Train is cute. He's hot and all. Even with his black trench coat and bad taste for gals. But I wouldn't say he's my type. Even if I did have a type, it wouldn't consist of black trench coats.

I hand the picture back to her. "How old is he?" I ask.

"He's 20. And he has a job. Like, a real job. Isn't that awesome?" She gushes.

"What job?" I ask again, losing interest quickly.

"He goes from place to place killing some asses." She says, unusually cheerful.

I nearly spit out my potatoes. "You mean…. an assassin?"

"I guess you could say that." She shrugs. I stare at her, trying to make out if she means it. Her expression seems almost….blank.

"And you're okay with that?" I ask.

She just nods. "Why not? He's just doing what most of us mages do anyway. _Killing_."

"You mean he's not a mage?"

"I don't think so." She says, furrowing her perfectly groomed eye brows.

"You do know that we're not supposed to date the commoners, right?" I say jokingly.

She just scoffs. "Aunt Ary is just _so_ unfair. " She twirls a lock of hair around her finger, staring at her pink and orange bowtie sandals. She looks up suddenly, smirking to herself. "….I'll just have to find a loophole."

I roll my eyes. "Don't be stupid. Ariel watches you like a hawk." I say. "Well, practically."

Naomi shrugs and drains her glass. "Later, loser." She snaps, returning to her usual spiteful self.

Maybe I like her that way. The happy and peppy Naomi is just…weird. She stands up and leaves, and Hannah clears her plates as soon as the door slams shut.

"You finished with that?" She says grimly, glaring at my half empty plate of food.

"N-Not yet." I say quickly. She wipes the table anyway and leaves me in my lonely misery.

I seriously nidda get some new friends.

[line]

I walk into the almost empty lobby, scanning the message boards.

Let's see what we have here.

_Toilet Maintenance…._

_Missing Pet…._

Urgh. Looks like I came too late. All new jobs are posted on Monday afternoon, and its Tuesday already. Damn, how am I going to pay for this month's rent?

"Hello?" A soft voice says from behind me.

"Oh, hey Naomi." I wave to her awkwardly.

She's dressed in a navy blue blouse and a black pencil skirt, her brown hair tied into a stylish little bun. No red in sight.

"Woah, you look different today." I say jokingly.

"Yeah, I guess so." She shrugs.

"….Oh…kay." I nod. It's like she's a different person. The real Naomi, the spiteful, evil Naomi I know and partially like, would probably say something like "Whatever, bitch. Get a life." or "Get out of my face."

She smiles sweetly at me and returns back to sorting some paperwork.

"Uh, reserved any good jobs?" I ask, leaning against the receptionist counter, cause I know she hates it when people do that.

Instead of glaring at me and swearing, she just smiles some more.

"Not really. Reserving jobs just for myself or team mates would be awfully unfair to the rest of the guild, don't you think?" She says in a high and girly voice.

If she says anything nicer, I swear I'm going to gag.

"Uh, yeah." I can't believe I'm having this conversation. I push some of her papers off the counter on purpose, to see if she'll stir.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. She just looks up at me and smiles, before scooping all the paper up and sorting them neatly in a pile.

"Whoopsy-daisy!" She grins, filing the stack of papers into a cabinet. "Should of put those away sooner! Thanks for reminding me, Shirley."

Shirley. She called me Shirley. I mean, it's been so long since she's called me that. It's always been muppet or fat ass or….something!

"So anyway, I thought we could go for some red bean sundaes later." Naomi suggests.

"We?" I ask lamely.

"You know, Layla and us. I think it'll be fun."

"Uh, sure." I smile at her, and dash to the stairs. I can_not_ take any more of this torture.

I'm halfway up the stairs before hearing Naomi shout out. "See you later, Shirley!" She says in a sing song voice.

Freak my life.

[line]

Its dinner time and everyone is in the dining room, waiting for the events to start.

"What's up?" I asked Layla about an hour ago.

"Oh, it's our bi-monthly guild dinner. We have them every other month." She grins.

She already mentioned the bi-monthly part, didn't she?

"Ohkay….See you then?"

"Sorry, can't make it. There's this big problem with the central heating. I don't know what they would do without me." She shrugged, walking away.

So, I'm sitting at the edge of my seat, trying to look like I'm not a loser. And it's not like I would invite Naomi to join me. I mean, she snuck out for her date with Train. She's so lucky…

"Is this seat taken?"

I turn around, and grin on impulse.

"Hey, Missa." I greet her.

She takes the seat next to me "Long time no see, pipsqueak."

"I'd like to say that to you as well. So anyway, what are you doing back in Leafre?" I ask her.

She just shakes her head. "You don't know how hard it was to convince my boss to give me today off. I mean, I thought she was going to fire me. But here I am, for the bi-monthly Ariel dinner. Yipee!" She fake cheered. "Although, it is nice to be back. It's been like, almost two months. And I guess everyone is doing well…."

Well, I guess nothing has changed. She still talks a lot.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." She smiles, tucking her big and orange handbag under the table.

The dining room is just this big hall with a few wooden tables and marble chairs around it. Like a giant cafeteria, only with more turpentine. Just for tonight, a temporary stage made out of wood has been set up.

I look around, and dozens of people are going in and out of the dining room. The old and heavy wooden door opens noisily, and I notice someone that shouldn't be here.

"What the hell is a guy doing here?" I whisper ask to Missa, who's fiddling with her cellphone next to me.

"I dunno. Is it Luke?" She replies, without even glancing upwards.

I turn around to check again. No, it's not Luke. Luke, Ariel's younger brother, is blond. The guy that just stepped in has spiky brown hair…..And a black trench coat…?

"Naomi?"

"Holy…..crap." Missa breathes.

Around me, I can hear people gasping, tittering.

"Is that Naomi and a boy?"

"Ohmigawd, it's been years since a guy was in here!"

Naomi just shrugs and drags Train towards our table. Naomi is dressed up nicely, in a cute black lacey dress and black pumps, her hair lightly curled and draped across her shoulders. Train, looking awkward as ever, is wearing his black trench coat, unbuttoned, and a black dress shirt, also unbuttoned tastefully to reveal an inch or so of his chest. Classy.

Naomi walks up to us and shoves Train gently. "Sit," she prompts, taking a seat next to me without even asking me if it's okay. Cause I'm not okay with this. Even if Train is insanely hot.

Train rolls his eyes but sits next to Naomi anyway. He glares at the other girl at the table, and she flinches before moving to another table.

"He's very good looking, don't you think?" Missa whispers into my ear. "You think I should talk to him?"

Hm, seems like everyone in partially in love with him. "Why not?" I nod, and Missa grins like a kid on Christmas.

"Hey, I'm Missa. What's your name?" She says, reaching her hand over to shake his.

He just cranes his neck and stares at her dismissively. "Train," he replies, seeming bored.

Missa pulls her hand back slowly. She looks a little hurt. Like someone just shot her pet hamster.

I turn around to glare at him, but I decide not to. I mean, I'm pretty sure he could kill me if he wanted to. And because….He seems to make Naomi happy. Looking at them together, although makes me want to gag, they do look really good together. I bend under the table to move Missa's handbag a bit, cause it's annoying my foot. Well, it's a bad habit, jingling my foot around, but I can't help it. I look around under the table, and I notice that they're holding hands. Really. Under the table.

"What's up? Dropped an earring?" Missa asks, nudging me a little. I come back up from under the table, almost banging my head.

"Nah, I'm okay." I assure her. I turn to look to my right slowly, trying not to look suspicious. They're talking, a little awkwardly, but they seem happy. Naomi is as smiley as ever, and I swear I just saw Train smile a little. Like, a tiny nano smile, but still. And the holding hands thing.

"I kinda agree." Missa whispers to me, nodding thoughtfully.

"Can you stop reading my mind already." I say, trying not to laugh.

"Sorreeh! But you should seriously know what Naomi thinking. It's so cute. You know, young love and all." Missa says dreamingly.

"Young love?" I scoff. "Don't make me laugh, she's eighteen."

Missa rolls her eyes. "But still…She does like him. Like, like _like_ him. You know?"

I think for a moment. Naomi, in love. Naomi, happy all the time. Well, I guess she'll probably lay off me and Layla a bit. A bit.

"Anyway, Train, what do you do for a living?" I ask out of a mixture of boredom and curiosity.

"I'm a bounty hunter." He says without hesitation.

"Cool," Missa nods.

"….Yeah. Awesome." I say, not as cheerfully as I should have.

Naomi pinches my thigh, under the table.

I just ignore the pain and continue smiling.

"Excuse me, everyone." Someone says softly into the microphone, up on the temporary stage.

"Who's that?" I whisper ask Missa, who's busy fiddling with her spoon.

She just glances up quickly before returning to her cutlery. "Janie. She's good at singing."

Janie looks very young. Maybe a bit older than me, but she kinda looks like a twelve year old. She has soft, wavy blonde hair, pink-ish (contact lenses?) eyes and is wearing this cute white dress with a big blue bow in the middle. She taps the microphone gently, glancing around awkwardly. She looks like an adorable little mess.

"Excuse me, everyone!" She says into the microphone, a little louder this time.

No one seems to be listening. I look around, and everyone is either talking among themselves or just seems…bored. I glance over at Naomi, and she and Train are discussing about proper gun maintenance. Yeah, sure. Naomi doesn't even have a gun. At least, I hope she doesn't.

"EXCUSE ME!" Janie screams, and I jump in my seat.

"Holy crap." Naomi says grimly, turning around in her seat to face the stage.

"Okay, now that I have your attention – Hey, you! STOP Talking!" She screams, pointing at some guild member. "Anyway, my name is Janie. I'm pretty sure most of you know me, but I do see…uh…a few guests!" she says, returning to her quiet tone. "I'm going to be your entertainer tonight, and…uh…dinner is going to be served now so sit back and relax!"

I hear sighs of relief around the room. I guess people are pretty hungry.

I see Hannah and a group of waitresses emerge from the back kitchen, carrying trays and trays of hot food. Up on stage, Janie takes a seat on a wooden stool, and the musicians start playing.

"Finally!" I hear Missa cheer next to me. I guess she's finished playing with her napkin already.

Hannah lays a plate of something fancy in front of me, Caesar salad, and I smile and thank her politely.

"Heart…beats fast," Janie sings softly in the microphone.

"Aww, I love this song!" I hear Naomi whisper into Train's ear.

"How to be brave…"

She leans on Train's shoulder, and I feel a pang of jealousy.

"But watching you stand alone. All of my doubt… suddenly goes away somehow."

How come she gets an awesome boyfriend when she just killed it for me?

"One step….closer."

Missa touches my knee with hers, as if she's trying to tell me something.

"I have died everyday waiting for you. Darling don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years. I'll love you for a thousand more…"

I glance at her, and her expression is filled of sympathy. Mind readers.

"Beauty in all she is…"

She stares of me, giving me this look that reads 'What's up?'

"I will not let anything take away…"

"I'm fine." I whisper to her, trying to believe it myself.

"One step closer…"

I gaze of Naomi again, and she looks happy. Maybe I should be feeling happy for her, too. I don't know. I feel jealousy curling around my heart, like sharp thorny vines, pressing down on my chest, making it hard to breathe. She stole my boyfriend, and it isn't fair. She gets…

"For a thousand years…. I'll love you for a thousand more…"

Train….

"I would find you, time has brought your heart to me…"

Griffin….

"I'll love you for a thousand more…"

I glance at my salad, and suddenly I don't have the appetite to eat anything anymore.

"One step closer…" Jane sings, strumming on an acoustic guitar.

"Darling don't be afraid I have loved you…" I sing along, quietly.

I glance over at Missa, and she's already finished her salad. I dare not turn the other way, in case Naomi and Train are feeding each other bits of salad or something.

"A thousand more…" Her voice trails off, and the song is over.

I glance over at Naomi anyway, and she and Train are making out. Everyone starts clapping, and I just clap along, cause Janie was great up there…and…

"Thanks, everyone!" she giggles into the microphone by accident, and I think I just heard someone's glass break. "Okay, the next song will be a more upbeat one, so I hope you guys like it!"

"Summer after high school when we first met, we made out in your mustang to Radio Head…" she sings into the microphone, along to the beat of the drums.

"Hey, this song is awesome. You think Janie takes requests?" Missa asks, gulping down her red wine. Wine for those who are of legal age, orange juice for people who weren't.

"Used to steal your parents' liquor, and climb to the roof. Talk about our future like we had a clue…"

I just shrug. "I...don't know. Maybe?"

"In another life, I would be your girl. We keep all our promises, like us against the world…"

"Hey, Shirs. You having your salad?" Naomi asks.

I thought you were busy making out with your boyfriend in front of me.

"Uhm, no." I tell her. "You want it?" I ask.

She nods, and I hand her the whole bowl. Instead of thanking me, she smiles and turns back to Train.

"The one that got away…"

I watch them for a moment, and they're practically soul mates.

"I was dreaming you were my Johnny Cash, never one without the other, we made a pact…"

They're both evil and spiteful…

"Someone said you had your tattoo removed; saw you downtown singing the blues. It's time to face the music. I'm no longer your muse..."

They're both insanely hot…

"In another life, I would make you stay…"

They're both perfect for each other.

"The one that got away."

[end]

Info: Again, Happy New Year!

Janie is 15, by the way. And if you were wondering, the songs she sung were 'A Thousand Years' and 'The One that Got Away'.

Okay, goodbye.

**Review if you liked it! I'd love to hear any suggestions, cause I'm a newbie writer. :D**


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Just got back from the hospital. Gosh, those beds are hard. Look out for the fight scene in the middle? Haha, I suck at those, but I think you'll get the point. :)

Chapter 8: Surprise!

I glance around my room, feeling satisfied.

After four hours of thorough cleaning, including scrubbing my Jacuzzi with a toothbrush and some bleach, my dorm room seems awesomely clean. Even if it is almost midnight.

Curtains, washed and draped tastefully across my glass windows. Clothes washed, ironed, folded and put away into my cabinets, instead of being strewn across my bed. Finding jeans will be much easier now, since I won't have to go into a mad rampage, flinging socks and t-shirts everywhere. I even swept and mopped the floors and vacuumed the carpet.

Okay, I do have to admit, the only reason I had to clean up my room is cause I can't afford the dorm cleaning service anymore. I mean, seriously. Four hundred thousand mesos a month? That's almost half of my month's rent living here.

Okay, yes. Living in the Ariel dorms are expensive. Like, _very_ expensive. The food, rent, cleaning services, even the vending machine. They all cost a little more than…affordable. But where else would I go? Back home?

I hear a knock at the door, and I get up from bed reluctantly.

"Who is it?" I ask, turning the doorknob slowly.

"Surprise!" Layla screams into my face.

"Whaa…?" I ask, confused.

Instead of asking if it's okay to come in, she just shrugs and rushes in, about a few dozen people trailing behind her, carrying balloons and boxes.

Layla climbs onto my desk, which I just polished and all. "Happy Birthday, Shirs!" She shouts, popping a bottle of champagne. "Let's party!"

Everyone cheers, and suddenly dance music starts blaring. _What the hell._ Did someone bring a stereo or something? I scan the room, and manage to spot a few familiar faces in the crowd. There's Missa, wearing what seems to be a translucent tank top over a bikini, and a load of jingly golden necklaces. Naomi, without Train today, decked out in her favorite red stilettoes and a scarily short burgundy dress. And Layla, still on my desk, in her tube top and denim mini skirt, dancing to LMFAO.

"To the birthday girl!" someone shouts and hands me a champagne glass.

"Hey! I can't drink!" I shout, trying to hand the glass back to her.

"You're fourteen now, right? A little champagne wouldn't hurt anyone!" She shouts, before shuffling back into the crowd.

God, and I thought my room was small enough.

"Hey, Missa." I grin at her and she dances up to me.

"Happy Birthday, pipsqueak!" She mumbles, swinging her arm around my shoulders.

"Uh, thanks." I thank her awkwardly. I hand her my champagne and watch her walk off, wobbling a little in the process. I guess she likes her drinks.

Urgh, I nidda stop this. When did I ever say agree to something like this?

I push my way through the crowd, throwing multiple drinks that have been given to me over my shoulder as I go. My newly cleaned floors probably wouldn't like it, but _someone_ needs to be able to think straight.

"Layla!" I shout, hoping she can hear me over the booming music.

"Yesh?" Layla asks, handing some girl her empty champagne glass, who glares at her but takes the glass anyway.

"Do you think we could…uh….Take this party somewhere else?" I improvise.

"What do you mean? Ooohh, I love this song!" She squeals as 'Moves like Jagger' starts playing.

"Like…Maybe we could get into the…into the bar! Yeah, we should move this to the bar!" I suggest. The bar, as in the bar exclusive to the higher-classmen.

She stares at me for a moment and hiccups. "B-but then, not all of us can get in! And it's like…midnight. Ariel probably won't allow it."

"Don't worry, I think she won't mind." I laugh, pointing towards the crowd. Ariel is crowd surfing, the people carrying her looking a little off balanced.

"Awe-sum!" She squeals, jumping off the desk, nearly tipping it over in the process.

[-]

I sit in the corner of the bar, being accompanied by Naomi. The bar, according to her, was actually the dining room, but they moved out since it was getting too small for the ever expanding guild. So instead of burning it to the ground, they decided to turn it into a bar. Yipee.

Basically the bar is just a lot of chrome, blinding lights, loud music, and alcohol. Not to mention the sweaty, gyrating people.

"Want another one?" The (female) bartender, Dylan, asks me, her whitish hair pinned up into a cute little side bun.

"Sure," I nod, and watch her pour liquid into a martini glass.

"What's in that?" Naomi asks, narrowing her eyes.

"It's just water, really. With an orange peel in it." I shrug, gulping it down.

"Yeah, want one?" The bartender pipes up. "I'm thinking of having a new line of non-alcoholic drinks, so you guys could be my guinea pigs."

"Whatever." She shrugs, crossing her arms against her chest.

I scan the room, and everyone seems to be having a good time. Layla and Missa are dancing, downing shots of….I don't know. Well, I guess Missa is allowed to have some fun. She's like, in her 20s or something. But I'm not sure how old Layla is. Even Ariel is sitting at the other end of the bar, surrounded by some of the older members, gossiping and talking about makeup and yoga. Interesting, much.

I turn around to glance at Naomi, and she's sipping one of Dylan's creations. But instead of orange peel, the glass seems to have an olive and sugar around the rim.

"Hey, you're like, 18, aren't you?" I ask her.

"Yeah," she nods, seeming bored.

"Then why aren't you out there?" I point toward the horde of laughing and dancing girls under the 'Happy Birthday Shirley!' banner.

She eyes them for a moment before shrugging. "Nah, I have a date with Train tomorrow. Don't really want to get too wasted."

Date with Train tomorrow, huh?

"Oh, okay." I say awkwardly. "How are you with...Train?"

She thinks for a moment. "Good, I guess. We're not really…that serious."

"Oh," I nod.

I return my gaze towards the party-goers, and suddenly I see someone walking towards the bar, towards us. Cheryl?

"Happy Birthday, mini me." She winks, snatching a pina colada from someone. She is wearing a very _very _short black strapless dress with lacy trimming, gladiator heels and a navy blue choker. Is that what she, I mean_ I_, wear to a club?

"Wait, can Dylan see you?" I whisper to her.

Cheryl scoffs. "Sure she can, if I wanted her to. I can let whoever I want to see me." She says, reaching over for maraschino cherry. It seems that Cheryl is in invisibility mode or something, since Dylan isn't noticing her. "Even your little friend over there." She points at Naomi, who seems oblivious. "Hello, Naomi!" she says, snapping her fingers.

Naomi turns around in her seat and flinches a little. "Holy freak…Maybe I do need a drink." She turns toward the bartender and signals for….Whatever she usually has.

"I thought you didn't want to get wasted." I say, raising an eyebrow.

She just shrugs and thanks Dylan for her red, evil looking drink. "This is healthy, you know. There's celery and tomato in this."

"And vodka." Cheryl adds, taking a seat on the comfy blue bar stool next to mine.

"Whatever," Naomi snaps, taking a gulp. Somehow she seems unfazed about Cheryl.

"You can see her, right?" I whisper ask.

She nods, putting her half empty glass back onto the table. "I could always see her, just didn't really care. I already know she's you, and you're her."

"Did Layla tell you?" I ask, remembering what a blabbermouth she can be. I bite my lip and look over to Layla right now, who's drinking champagne straight from the bottle.

"Nah, I kinda figured it out myself, back in Orbis." She mumbles. "And I knew that old lady was a hoax. She talked just like you, and you guys have the same birthmark and eye colour. Even similar cheekbones." She continues. "I just wanted to live in that little house to make Layla happy, and maybe piss you off a bit."

I feel the back of my neck on impulse. How did she know I had a birthmark there?

I open my mouth to ask her, but suddenly change my mind. She seems really…nice. Which is an improvement. And her favorite colour just rose to her cheeks.

"Holy crap, are you blushing?" Cheryl teases.

Instead of swearing, she glares at Cheryl for a moment, before throwing what's left of her Bloody Mary in her direction, glass and all. Cheryl dodges quickly by just craning her neck a little. It hits the chrome wall with a loud 'Pang' before dropping to the floor, leaving behind a pool of ice and glass.

"Holy crap! Naomi, what are you doing?" I scream at her.

"She's armed." Naomi says, narrowing her eyes seriously.

I glance between Cheryl and Naomi, confused.

"Yeah, mini me. It's either attack or be attacked." Cheryl says icily.

"W-What's going on?" I shout.

Instead of answering, Naomi kicks me off my seat with her pointy shoes and dodges one of Cheryl's steelies.

"Woah," I breathe. "Did you just save me or something?"

"Shhh," Naomi says without even glancing at me. "You can thank me after this bitch goes to hell."

Cheryl pushes her stool over and adjusts her claw, which she was apparently hiding behind her back. "Yeah, you can thank her later."

She throws her steelies so fast it's all a blur. I can't even bear myself to watch this. I hear the sound of throwing stars clanging against something metal, a sword?

"Naomi!" I scream, shoving Cheryl roughly. Instead of falling over like I expected her to, she punches me in the jaw, flinching a little cause I know she can feel the pain too.

"Freak, that _almost_ hurt." She smirks, wiping a bead of blood off her lip.

Naomi emerges from her seat and swings her blade at Cheryl's head. A narrow miss, avoided only by a Cheryl leaping to the side. Another three slashes forces her to roll backwards, knocking a few bar stools over in the process.

"Woah, woah! Naomi! What are you doing?" Ariel screams, noticing the fiasco happening right in the bar.

I glance at Naomi, her cheek bleeding from being cut by one of Cheryl's stars, to Cheryl, whose hair got hacked off a little by Naomi's sword, to Ariel who looks slightly tipsy.

"Nothing, Aunt Ary." She says, tossing her sword to the side. I've never seen her with her sword in combat before. For a rogue, her sword skills are awesome.

Cheryl stands up again and runs towards Naomi, her fist clenched tightly. Naomi dodges her punch and kneels Cheryl in the tummy.

I feel a sharp pain in the same spot, and realize that if she gets hurt, I do too.

"Naomi, stop!" I shout, throwing a shard of broken glass at her. She manages to dodge it and just glares at me angrily.

"Freak off, Shirs." She shakes her head. "Don't be a wimp. I think even _you_ can handle a little hand to hand combat, right?" She smiles icily.

Hand to hand combat? Is that why she tossed her (although very large and very scary, but still. Is she trying to get killed by Cheryl who has no intention on 'tossing' her throwing stars?) sword away? So she wouldn't kill me on accident? Or on purpose, for that matter?

Aww, maybe she _does_ like me.

Wait, let me rephrase that.

Aww, maybe she _doesn't_ want to kill me.

"Argh!" Cheryl cries out in pain, interrupting my daydream.

I glance upwards, and Naomi has already pinned Cheryl down by her shoulders.

"Listen, biatch. Just because you look like Ms Goodie-Two-Shoes doesn't mean I wouldn't want to punch the crap out of you. Because honestly, I would. Sometimes I find it hard to not whack the real one. "

Wait, did she just- Was that a threat?

"Now crawl back to whatever time you came from. Or just disappear." Naomi whispers, her face only a few inches from Cheryl's.

Cheryl struggles a bit, before fading into oblivion. Until she comes back, I guess.

[-]

"Naomi Grayson, seriously. Destroying half of the bar? What were you thinking?"

We're sitting in the conference room, being lectured by Ariel.

"Oh, whatever. You all could do without the alcohol." Naomi shrugs, putting her feet on the marble tables again. Her red stilettoes, covered in drops of real blood now, perched carefully one on top of the other. For some reason she doesn't mention anything about Cheryl. Maybe Ariel would understand then, and lay off a bit?

"I'm being serious. I'm your aunt. You're my niece." Ariel says, sitting across from us, and not on her usual, grand spot up front.

Naomi just rolls her eyes. "So?"

"I'm saying," she starts, crossing her arms against her chest huffily, just like Naomi. "I can't control you. Maybe…Maybe it'll be better if you went home to your mom."

Naomi's expression changes quickly, from 'I'm cool, don't touch me' to 'I'm sad, I'm vulnerable, don't touch me'.

"Excuse me?" She snaps, raising her voice a bit.

Ariel brushes a strand of hair away from her tired looking face. "I said, you're going home to your mom. In _Ellinia_."

Ellinia? Is that where Naomi came from?

"You're joking, right? You're _joking_." Naomi shouts. "I'm not going back to that…to that _tramp_."

"Naomi, I can tell you're upset, but…" Ariel starts, trying to stay calm.

"Upset? _Upset_? I'm _not _upset. I'm pissed." Naomi says, standing up abruptly. "I'm pissed at you, and I'm pissed at my _mom_."

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to say anything, or just watch as it goes down. I know for a fact that Naomi doesn't like anyone bringing up her mom. Not even her aunt, I guess.

"Look, Naomi. I already made up my mind." Ariel says, covering her eyes for a moment. "It's either you behave, or you pack up and head back to Ellinia."

There's a wall of silence, and I don't know what to do. Naomi goes quiet, considering the offer. She sighs before slouching back into her seat.

"Okay, sure." She mumbles, avoiding eye contact.

Ariel smiles a little, seeming contented. "Okay, then." She glances at her watch and shakes her head. "It's late. You guys should be in bed. Good night."

[-]

"Dylan, I'm so so so _SO_ sorry about this. I swear, I'll replace all this stuff once I get the money." I say, sweeping up the pieces of broken glass from the floor.

Last nights 'party' ended up bad. Broken shot glasses, spilled drinks, and someone even threw up in the restroom. And not to mention Naomi's 'bar fight'. But I would say self-defense. I don't know why Cheryl would want to attack her, but I do intend to find out. When she pops up again, which I suspect she will.

"It's okay. I've seen worse." Dylan laughs, sewing up a cut in one of the bar stools, which Cheryl probably caused.

I find that hard to believe.

"Hey, bitches." Someone squeals, running into the bar.

"Hey, Layla." I can't help but smile a bit. It's already past 11, and she's still in her baby blue jammies.

She yawns and stretches her arms before sitting on one of the bar stools. "What you guys doing here so early?"

"We're cleaning, actually. Want to help us?" I ask.

She just yawns again and shakes her head. "No can do. After all that partying, I'm still kinda tired."

"Aren't you… hungover? You drank quite a bit last night." Dylan pipes up.

"What do you mean?" Layla says, genuinely confused.

"You know. Headache, nausea, vampire-ish toward light." I say, tossing the 'Happy Birthday Shirley!' banner into the trash bin.

"Nop. I've never been drunk before." Layla says innocently.

"You've got to be kidding me. She's joking, right?" I snort, raising an eyebrow at Dylan. She just shrugs and continues polishing glasses.

"I'm not joking or anything. It's kinda like in my family. We're good at holding our liquor and stuff. Or maybe it's just my obsession with heat." Layla shrugs.

At that exact moment, Missa walks (wobbles?) in, looking like she hasn't slept for days.

"Good morning!" Layla greets her excitedly as she nears us.

"You look well." I joke, and she just tosses her messy hair a bit and sits down next to Layla.

"Water, please." She says, and Dylan gets her some quickly. I can smell the alcohol on her breath. She takes a gulp before coughing loudly.

"What's wrong?" Dylan asks.

"Everything tastes like vodka." She moans. She glances at Layla blurrily and narrows her eyes . "Lucky you."

Layla giggles. "Anyway, have you seen Naomi? I heard she was sent back to Victoria Island by her aunt."

"Whatever. She totally saw it coming. I mean, what was up with her last night? Randomly pulling out her sword and slashing up some bar stools? Crazy." Missa says, taking another gulp of water before wincing. "Even I wouldn't do that."

"Wait, what?" I ask.

I thought Ariel said she could stay if she behaved. I mean, I was _there_ when it happened.

"I dunno. But there's been rumors circulating and stuff." Layla continues.

"And I haven't seen her all day." Missa adds.

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to defend her or just continue cleaning.

"Nah, I'm sure she's just off somewhere. Maybe on a date?" I say casually, careful not to mention Train.

"Date? With who?" Layla asks, scrunching up her nose.

"Who knows? Heck, she could be in Amoria getting married for all I know!" I laugh, very awkwardly, anyway.

Instead of laughing politely to my very bad joke, Missa and Layla just stay silent, thinking.

"You think she would invite me to her wedding?" Layla wonders, steering away from the subject.

"Sure she would. I mean, you could be her bridesmaid." Missa offers.

"Ohmigawd, that would be SO awesome. I hope she picks those dresses with cute embroidery, cause I love those!" Layla squeals.

"Anyway, guys. I nidda go." I improvise, standing up.

They give me a tiny, barely even visible wave before resuming their interesting conversation about floral bouquets.

[= =]

Info: Ahaha, I know, I know. This chapter involves partying and alcohol. Sue me.

And I don't drink, okay. The only thing I've drank before is red wine, white wine (which I find disgusting) and a gin and tonic (which I basically don't like either). So no, I don't see myself being an alcoholic. And I've only been to one bar for free welcome drinks. (It was fruit punch.) It just so happens I know a few cocktails and what's in em'.

Anyway, I'll be getting on to Chapter 9 and the rewritten Chapter 2. Hehe. Till the next chapter, I guess.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Hye guys! Sorry for the long break. Was having a short battle with writers block. Hope you guys enjoy!

Chapter 9: Scarlett H.

"My name is Scarlett, if you were wondering." The girl with long black hair and striking green eyes whispers to me as we do our pushups.

"Hurry up, girls!" Jill screams before I can reply. Jill is our overly cheerful trainer (tyrant, according to Scarlett) enjoys screaming orders out all day.

I just blow a strand of hair out of my face and continue on the next set. I glance at Scarlett, who seems to be doing her pushups effortlessly, while I feel like my arms can barely support my weight anymore. Stupid jelly arms.

Although, which part of my body doesn't turn to jelly at some point? Urgh, stupid jelly limbs.

But…how come Cheryl doesn't have any jelly limbs? I mean, we're supposed to be like, the same, right? Like her inappropriate fight with Naomi last week. What was that for? I remember her saying that she's always wanted to fight her, but I didn't know she would do it in public. Or in a bar.

And I recall her saying that Naomi couldn't see her. How come she could this time around? There's so many things I don't know about future me. Like her eyes. What up with her eyes, again. Gosh, I sound like a psycho.

"Great job, ladies." I hear Jill shout before tossing us bottles of bottle.

I thank her politely before drinking noisily.

"I was thinking we could do another set of planks before wrapping up for today." Jill suggests. Her blond hair was tied messily into a high ponytail, and her baby blue tracksuit was actually uber cute.

Scarlett shrugs and nods while I just stare. Another set? Are you kidding me?

"Okay, on the floor!" Debbie ordered.

I just glare at her and get down and into position. I hate this. This is only the second session and I'm already dreading this. Okay, I do admit that I kinda needed this. I'm weak. At least, according to everyone when I asked their opinion about the topic.

"You suck." Naomi had said, barely glancing up from a romance novel she was reading before a date.

"You're not the best….But not the worst. For your age." Missa shrugged, before backpacking back to Orbis.

"Yeah, you're weak as hell." Layla told me sweetly, skipping around in my room. Missa wasn't lying when she said she was brutal.

"Hey, stop cheating! Your knee is on the ground!" Jill shouted.

I glare at her again and did as instructed. I look at Scarlett, and she was doing this like she did it in her sleep.

Maybe she did, I wouldn't know.

The training room is divided into 5 sections. The first is used to examinations like the entrance one I had to go through a few months back. The second is the gym, where I am now. The rest of the rooms were available only to people who passed the first two rooms. Which is not me.

For a Friday afternoon, it was pretty empty. Just me and some stranger Scarlett, who seems kinda nice and all, but is way too moody for me to keep me company. And Jill of course. Apparently her real name is Jillian and she's not a mage. But I'm pretty sure she can make up for it with the physical strength alone.

"Half way there!" Jill shouted again.

I struggle to complete my next rep, and my thoughts kinda drift away. Kinda reminds me of when I was a little kid and my mom sent me for ballet class.

I never really went back after my first class.

Not that it mattered, really. I'm as flexible as a stick.

"_Underneath the moon, underneath the stars…" _

I turn around and Janie walks in, a small towel thrown over her shoulders.

"Ready, Scar? It's lunch time already." She says in her ever so soft voice.

Scarlett stands up, brushing off her black leggings. She glances at Jill, as if she's asking for permission. Jill nods, and Scarlett links arms with Janie before strolling off.

"_Here's a little heart for you. Up above the world, up above it all."_ Janie sings as they leave.

Does she sing _all_ the time?

"Oh, ya." Janie stops just in front of the exit. "Bye, Cheryl!" She waves as the door slams behind her.

"My name's Shirley." I mumble say under my breath.

I glance at Jill and she's staring at me, pouting, her gaze alone oozing with false sympathy.

"See you tomorrow!" I laugh, throwing my water bottle at her.

I'm alone in the deserted library, flipping through books on the Geography of Leafre. I've never really been to a real school for very long. The most I've had education wise was a few years of elementary school. It was hard going to school, since me and my mom used to travel from place to place.

"Hello?" A voice from behind me squeaks.

I turn around and Scarlett is standing there in black t-shirt and a pair of jeans, carrying a huge stack of books. She looks gorgeous.

"Hey," I greet her before returning back to my books.

She pulls a chair out from across mine and dumps her stack of books onto the table roughly.

I glance at her pile, and they're all Italian or French novels.

"Like reading?" I ask her. Small talk.

"I guess." She shrugs. "I'm surprised there's someone here. Usually I'm the only person who bothers to come. Even the librarian is too lazy to show."

"Woah," I breathe. "I just found out about this place today. I didn't know there was a library here."

Scarlett rolls her eyes. "You call this a library? My _room_ is bigger than this."

"Wait…My room is…small." I say.

She snorts. "The newest members get the tiny rooms. Trust me, once you've been here for a year or something, you'll get a room much, _much_ bigger."

"How much bigger?" I ask.

"Almost three times. What you have is _nothing_." She flips her hair behind her shoulder before opening the first book from her pile.

We read in silence for a few minutes.

"So…Do you come here often?" I ask in an attempt to fill the silence.

"Every day." She nods, without glancing from her book. "Unless Janie makes me head out to town."

"So…Janie is your best friend or something?" I ask after a few minutes of silence.

She thinks for a moment before replying. "…You really don't know anything about us." She shakes her head. "She's my _girl_friend."

"Oh," I nod. "Girlfriend, as in you guys are really close."

"No," She says slowly. "Girlfriend, as in, we're lesbians."

"What?" I'm confused.

She just smirks and continues reading. Like my puzzled expression amuses her.

Holy crap. This is like a hotter and smarter Naomi.

"How long have you guys been together?" I think out loud.

"I dunno. Maybe a few months? Three, four?" She shrugs before returning to her thick book.

More silence. This is just useless. It's quite impossible for me to have a decent conversation with her, seeing how we're so different. It's not like I can talk about our close to daily workouts, either.

I hear a loud buzzing sound, and Scarlett scowls before pulling an expensive looking cell phone out of her pocket. She flips it open sharply before barking into it.

"How many times have I told you to NOT call me when I'm reading?" She shouts. "No, my appointment is tomorrow! When did I ever agree to…You know what? Maybe I'll just – Don't you hang up on me!" I watch her as she swears under her breath before stuffing her phone back into her back pocket.

I'm not sure whether I'm supposed to say anything or not.

"Uhm…Who was that?" I ask.

"My shrink." She rolls her eyes, flipping through another book. She notices me eyeing her book. "It's in original Italian, in case you're wondering."

"Why do you have a therapist?" I ask again. Hope she doesn't hit me or anything.

She goes silent for a while. Finding the right words, maybe. Or just a witty remark.

"Issues, I guess. Jane was the one that made me sign up." She says. "My shrink is okay, I guess. Annoying, though. Although I find most people whose IQs are even lower than mine annoying." She says, barely glancing up at me.

I guess I'm one of those lower IQ people that annoy her.

"Did you just call Janie Jane?" I ask her anyway. Might as well annoy her some more. Finish what I've already started.

"I've been calling her Jane for as long as I can remember. Personally, I think she prefers being called Jane cause it makes her feel more matured. I wouldn't know, since I'm the one having to go to see my therapist every week." She rambles on.

"Jane…" I say awkwardly, rolling her name around in my mouth. It feels…weird.

"Oh, ya. And I heard from Naomi that you dated my brother for a while. What a loser he is." She brings up suddenly, tossing her hair.

"Brother?"

"Griffin," She says slowly. She probably thinks I'm dumb.

"Griffin is your brother?" I repeat, in case I got her wrong.

She nods, and I feel my heart sink a little.

"But you guys are in…different guilds."

"Yeah, I hate him. I haven't even spoken to him in like, 3 years. Wonder what that jackass has been doing with his life." She stares out the window for a moment, as if she was reminiscing the times they've spent together. Probably weren't that good.

"Oh," I say softly. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say. It's been nearly a month since Orbis. I've been trying to forget about Griffin. Not very well, thanks to Naomi and Train's make out sessions, though.

"He dumped you, didn't he?" She shakes her head sadly. "He would do anything for his guild. Scarlion, I guess. Even break a couple of girls' hearts."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Ya' know. When he was with Miranda, to Naomi, to you. He always had a similar target. People close to Ariel." She tells me. "And you know, Scarlion and Ariel have never really been the best of friends."

People close to Ariel.

"Sorry, Scarlett. I just remembered…I have to go." I say awkwardly, pulling my bag over my shoulder. "Bye," I give her a semi-wave.

"Bye," She says, confused.

Job, job, come on! I need a job.

I'm scanning the message boards as quickly as I can, being shoved and squished by about another few dozen desperate members, trying to snatch all the good jobs.

"Move it, bitch!"

"Hurry up!"

People keep screaming in my ear, and someone just pulled on my hair. I knew tying my hair into pigtails would be a bad idea.

I turn around to glare at whoever did it, and it turns out to be Naomi.

"Move it, stupid!" Naomi screams again, half amused. I just stare at her, mortified, and she just rips a job request off the board forcefully before shoving me by the shoulder.

I get elbowed by some other mean member in the face and I stumble out of the crowd. Good riddance. Getting a job request is even harder than the job itself.

I walk over to Naomi, who seems to be watching the crowd in amusement while leaning against the ancient brick walls of the guild.

"Hey sadist!" I greet her coldly. "Got any nice ones?"

She smiles icily at me. "Yeah," She holds the job request up in front of me. "We could do it, yeah?" She says, indicating me, Layla and herself.

I read it quickly and gasp a little.

"You're joking, right?" I narrow my eyes, reading it again just in case I got it wrong. "This is an S class job. You can't expect _me_ to do it."

"I know." Naomi nods, folding the job request neatly in half before shoving it into her pocket. She yanks on one of my pigtails, her face only a few inches from mine. "You're just gonna be our bait." She whispers in my ear, before walking away into the crowd.

"Remind me why I'm here, again?"

I throw her a dirty look, and she just rolls her eyes.

Scarlett is leaning against my little desk, pretending she couldn't care less, playing around with a little teddy bear on my table.

"Because I needed some loser to keep me company while I pack for a job." I admit, folding up a pair of black vest tops. "And you're the only person I could think off."

She rolls her eyes, scoffing down another of my chocolate chip cookies, freshly baked by yours truly. It took a lot of persuasion to get Hannah to lend me the kitchen for a while, but to be able to pump out info on Griffin, it would be worth it. "I'm only here for the cookies." She says, wiping her mouth on her sleeve.

Seems like the bribe is working.

"So…How long was it since you've seen Griffin?" I ask innocently, stashing a bunch of hair bands into my bag.

She brushes some nonexistent crumbs from her black jeans, avoiding my gaze. "3 years. And I know why you asked me to come. You want to beat his ass, don't you? Either that or you want answers." She says, her gaze expressionless. I can't tell if she's pissed or just amused.

"I….." I start, glancing at my old and battered suitcase. "I need answers." I say, my voice no more than a whisper.

Scarlett's expression softens a little. She pulls out a chair and takes a seat, spreading her legs out widely. "I have time." She nods. "Oh, and no hair dryer. I'm pretty sure you don't need it." She adds before I manage to stuff it into my bag. I shrug and toss it onto my bed.

"So, how old is he?" I ask, running a hand through my hair.

"He's 16." Scarlett answers without hesitating.

Fourteen, nineteen, now sixteen?

"You sure?" I ask again.

"Yes, I'm sure. I was there during his birth, okay." She says coldly.

"Do you guys like…talk to each other?" I continue.

She pouts her lips, thinking of a way to answer me. "No, we don't. I haven't seen him since the day he joined Scarlion. What a douche, right? And anyway, if you're in different guilds, the relationship is considered nonexistent."

"Nonexistent?" I repeat.

Scarlett nods. "You guys have a lot of common, actually."

"What do you mean?"

"You guys both got into almost equally great guilds at the same age. The way you two talk are close to identical. Same shoe size, too." She says, glancing at the pair of flip flops I was about to put into my suit case.

"I'm not sure what to say." I mumble, hugging a pillow tightly.

"It's cool. Any other questions?" She reassures me.

"Where did you guys come from?"

"Henesys, actually. Pretty funny that he became a hermit, too." She half smiles.

Henesys, which is where I'm going for our next job.

"Parents?"

"Mom and dad. Mom was an archer, dad was just an ordinary dude." She says. "They got divorced after a while. They were forced to, anyway. Mages and the ordinary aren't really supposed to be together. But we managed, me and Griffin." She shrugs.

I didn't know that. Reminds me of Naomi and Train a little, though.

"How old are you, then?" I ask.

"I'm 18. Awesome, eh?" She grins. "But it's kinda sad. I mean, I'm 18, almost 19, and I'm still not in the Higher Class yet. I guess I'm more into my studies than my training." She shrugs. She does a lot of shrugging.

"Do you think he ever really liked me? Even a little?" I ask, blushing a little.

Scarlett thinks for a minute. "Maybe,"

A loud buzz comes from Scarlett's pocket, and she fishes her phone out almost immediately.

"What's up, Jane?" She says into her phone.

Oh, I thought it was her shrink, I mean, therapist.

"No, I'm busy right now. What? _What?"_ Her voice rises into a shout. "Okay. I'll….Yeah. See you later, yeah. Bye." She closes her phone shut and rises from her chair.

"What's up?" I ask, watching her grabbing the last cookie before leaving.

"Sorry, something came up." She shakes her head a little uneasily. "Let's continue this sometime soon, yeah?"

"…Sure." I whisper just as she slams the door shut.

Info: The truth is I actually planned to add another section involving Alice (still remember her?) but it came out to be more than 4000 words. Hehe. I think I'll just include that in the next Chapter. Till then, yeah?


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I've been busy. Yes, I've admitted it. School has been keeping me busy, so the next few chapters might be updated little slower than usual. Till the next holiday rolls in. :)

Chapter 10: Annabelle

"Tomorow's the day." Naomi whispers into my ear, as she walks past.

I turn around and she's already halfway down the hall, big sword swaying behind her. Looks like she just came out of the training room. Scary having to have her live down the hall from me. One night she might just burst into my room, gun pointed to my head.

Note to self, invest in dead bolt for room door.

I bump into someone abruptly, and the sound of metal clanging fills my ears.

"Hey!" A little girl, way shorter than me, with brown pigtails screams. "What do you think you're doing?" She shrieks, struggling to pick a few heavy looking swords off the floor.

I take a better look at the little girl, and it's that orphan from Orbis.

"Alice?" I gasp a little, helping her pick up a really big one.

She looks up at me with her big doe eyes and her cute face twitches into a scowl.

"May I have that sword back?" She says, avoiding my gaze.

I place the sword on the very top of her pile, and I see her knees wobble a little.

"Want some help with that?" I ask.

She thinks for a moment, considering the offer. She nods, and I grab a couple from her tiny 8 year old arms. "I'm making a delivery to uh…Room 68. A Ms Grayson, yeah?"

Ms Grayson, as in Naomi.

"Oh, you mean Naomi?" I ask. "She lives just down the hall from me, actually."

"Oh," she says, marching ahead of me.

"Wait up!" I shout after her, struggling to keep up.

She scans the room number plates quickly, her brown pigtails bobbing up and down as she goes. She stops suddenly in front of Room 68 and knocks on the door roughly.

The door opens up slowly, Naomi's head peeking out. She glances at me and at Alice, before ushering us in.

"OMG, I've never seen her room before." I whisper to Alice, and she just looks at me like I'm crazy or stupid. It's possible. But I feel excited, nevertheless.

I step into Naomi's room and the first thing that hits me is the decor. One of her walls are painted a deep crimson, the other wallpapered with black plastic bags, the third covered in a wild mixture of black felt and scraps of paper. Job requests, maybe. The last wall is actually the same cream colour my walls are, only with about a dozen swords leaning against it dangerously.

Alice seems unfazed, and hands the swords to Naomi swiftly.

"Here you go. I just finished polishing them." She says, holding her hand out. Waiting for payment, I guess.

Naomi grabs a big bundle of cash and places the wad on Alice's tiny little palm.

Alice nods, before leaving the room as fast as she came. Weird. I'll have to catch her later and ask whether she got that bike yet. Oh, and why she's here.

Naomi inspects her swords carefully, in case I might have scratched it or something.

"You're still here?" She glares at me.

I nod, and look around without her permission. Her room is huge. Her bed, king sized, is placed in the corner of her room, covered with a huge white blanket and a tasteful scattering of red heart shaped pillows.

"Hey, what's this?" I ask, picking up a rag doll that looks suspiciously like Train off the floor.

"Don't touch that!" Naomi shrieks, snatching it away quickly. "It's n-nothing. Don't touch _anything_." She warns me, hugging the doll tightly to herself.

She's got it bad.

"Whatever," I roll my eyes, walking ahead into the depths of her room. "Hey, you have a kitchen?"

She nods casually, Train doll peeking out of her fist.

Her kitchen is huge. Pine wooden cabinets, giant fridge, those high-techy stovetops, expensive modern looking oven. Even a waffle iron. Does she even like waffles?

"I'm so jealous. Do you even cook?" I say, opening up her giant stainless steel fridge. Milk, candy, a box of leftover takeout and half a suspicious looking carton of coconut milk. If this was my fridge, it would be probably be filled to the brim with fruits, cooking ingredients and juice. Well, if I had my own fridge, anyway.

"Sometimes. I can make a mean curry." She grins, and I'm not sure if she's joking or not.

I peer into her cabinets, a few plates and bowls, a small but old looking pot and a load of spices. Guess she does.

"What's this door?" I ask, turning the black doorknob anyway.

"Bathroom,"

I look inside, and it's gorgeous. Floor to ceiling mirrors, giant Jacuzzi tub, walk-in shower. Her bathroom smells of her strawberry shampoo and scented candles. In the corner it's this little purple sink, next to it is a black mug with Naomi's toothbrush.

"Holy crap. Your bathroom is practically the size of my whole room combined." I walk inside. "And holy shit, your bathroom floor is _heated_!" I jump around the room, just to be sure. Nice and toasty.

I hear Naomi giggle behind me, and I stop dancing around.

"Did you just giggle?" I ask.

Naomi scoffs automatically. "I'll give you," she squints at her white watch. "Exactly five minutes to get out of my room." She smiles sweetly and slams the door shut behind her. Oh, well. Dancing alone by myself in her bathroom would be fun. Another time, though.

I listen closely, pressing my ear to her wooden bathroom door. I can hear Naomi shuffling around the room for a minute and a door opening and shutting. She must of left.

I peer outside nervously. I think my time limit is up. I walk casually through her room, stopping abruptly in front of her bed. Her Train doll is right there. How can I not resist?

I pick it up and it feels soft, baby yarn, maybe? It's pretty small and fits in my hand. It has big black eyes, even though he has cat like golden eyes (yes, I've noticed), floppy arms and legs. His brown hair is soft and fluffy. Feels like polyester. I t's even wearing a button up white shirt and some dress pants, little patches of fabric stitched together by hand. Ooh, and the black coat is detachable. This is awesome. Wonder where she got this from….

"Eeeh!" I hear someone squeak.

I look around quickly, my heart thumping. "Who's there?"

The room seems empty. Something rumbles from under Naomi's bed, and I reach for my claw from my backpack slowly, in case something jumps out at me.

"Meew,"

Wait, is that a cat?

I fold part of Naomi's thick blanket away, peering under her bed cautiously.

A black cat flies out, running into the kitchen quickly. Noami's cat, I guess. What was it named again? Mickey, Minnie? Don't remember. Layla told me she named her cat that just to be ironic. Her cat doesn't seem to like me very much, anyhow.

I follow the cat into the kitchen a little warily. I have the feeling Naomi won't be very happy about me staying around here, but I can't be bothered at the moment to leave.

The heels of my three-inch wedges click against Naomi's wooden floor. Just thinking about it, Naomi actually gave me these shoes for my birthday. Explains why it's red.

Naomi's cat is sitting on the floor calmly, right next to a can of kitten food and a red saucer.

"Meow,"

Oh, sure. Thanks, Naomi. Want me to feed your cat now, too?

Her cat stares up at me, it's wide, blue eyes glinting in the kitchen's fluorescent lights.

Oh, how could I not.

I rummage through Naomi's drawers, looking for a can opener. I'm sure she must have one around here. I look down at my feet, and the cat is brushing up against my ankle. I would say it's totally adorable, if it wasn't Naomi's. I slam a drawer shut and frown to myself. Well, only one thing I can use, I guess.

I open my backpack and fish out a steely. I run it under the tap, just to clean it up a bit. Heck, seems clean enough. I pick up the can of cat food and notice that its tuna flavored. There's probably a load of chemicals in this. I pierce the top with my steely gently and cut along the rim of the top and turn the food out into the saucer. It comes out as a sticky blob. Appetizing.

I glance to Naomi's cat to the miserable looking blob. Maybe I just need to like, break it up a bit. I grab a metal fork off the counter table and fluff it up a bit. Looks more like cat food now, I guess.

"Hm, probably tastes better than it looks, yeah?" I whisper softly, stroking the kitten's soft black fur as it starts digging into its Tuna Surprise.

It sniffs my short nails, painted black just for fun, (another gift from Naomi-expensive black nail lacquer) and bites onto my nail playfully. Its teeth are surprisingly sharp. "Hey, little dude." I whisper, pulling my hand away. "You're gonna chip it, you know." I smile in spite of myself.

I open up the fridge and find a carton of milk, half full, and pour myself a big glass of it and take a gulp. I glance at my feet again and Naomi's little kitten is purring against my ankles, climbing over my wedges. Little adventurer wants some milk, too?

"Sorry, kitty. Milk gives you watery poo poo." I laugh, draining my glass and putting it into the dishwasher. I glance at my watch and its _way_ past 5 minutes. Almost half an hour, actually. That's bad.

I give the cat a little wave before closing the door gently behind me.

I walk into the dining room, pink sheet of paper in my pocket.

"Hey, Shirley." Layla smiles at me.

I can't help but smile back because she looks super adorable in her baby blue sweater with an embroidered puppy on the sleeve and faded jeans.

"Hey, thanks for saving me a seat." I nod, taking the seat opposite hers.

Layla stares at the door for a moment for a while and frowns suddenly as it opens.

"What's up?" I ask her, and she fixes a megawatt grin onto her face automatically.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong. Everything is great." She says, glancing at the door out of the corner of her eye.

"Don't lie." I say, squeezing her hands from across the table. "Is it Naomi? Was she being a bitch to you again?"

She pulls her hands away from mine, still not averting her gaze from the door. "Nah, it's…it's not Naomi." She murmurs, winding her long and dark auburn hair around her pinky.

"You seem distracted. Hungry? They're serving burgers today, your favorite." I say, jingling her hand a little. She looks like someone just told her teddy bears were deemed illegal.

"Nah, I'm not really hungry." She turns to face me again, and she looks both worried and nervous at the same time. "Actually, I'm waiting for someone."

"Someone? Who?" I ask, turning around to look at the door. No one is coming.

Layla tugs on one of the strings of my black hoodie so I turn back to face her. "Seriously, it's nothing. It's a personal thing." She reassures me with a shaky grin.

I nod slowly. Now that I think about it, Layla has never really opened up to me about…_anything_. Other than that time in Orbis, but that was barely anything.

The door opens again and Layla jumps in her seat. I turn around to see who it is, who Layla is waiting for. A tall girl, at least 5ft 10, saunters in, (probably dyed) pink hair flowing behind her back. Her green eyes, rimmed with black eyeliner, looks just like Layla's. She's dressed in a tight and short pink dress (did I mention that it was tight?) with black leggings underneath. She looked like a classy hooker. But classier.

"Ohmigawd, she's here." Layla whispers, squeezing my hand from under the table.

The pink haired lady looks around uncertainly before grinning in our direction. She flips her hair and pulls her handbag over her shoulder before walking towards us. I glance at her feet and notice she's wearing nude ballet flats. Compared to my shoes, (courtesy of Naomi Grayson) hers would seem to be much more sensible.

"Hello, Layla. Layla's friend." She greets us. She plunks her bag and seats right next to Layla. Layla looks a little uneasy.

"Who are you?" I ask rudely. I couldn't really care about manners. Any girl who makes Layla upset doesn't deserve it.

Miss Classy Hooker just glares at me. "Are you serious? You don't know _me_?" She exclaims, like it's a total abomination that I don't.

"No, I don't." I admit. "_Bite me_." I sneer.

Miss Classy Hooker gasps while Layla half-smiles to herself. "You wish!" She squeaks, tossing her hair.

"This is my friend, Annabelle, Shirley." Layla says, twirling her hand round her finger again.

"Your friend?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Oh, we're been the best of friends even since, well, we were babies, practically." Annabelle grins, throwing her arm over Layla's shoulders. "Oh, and call me Ambi. Ambelle makes me feel like I'm like, thirty or something. Which I'm so totally not."

Layla shrugs her arm off and bites her lip. "Uhm, yeah."

"Okay, sure. So what do you do for a living?" I ask. I seem to ask this question to everyone.

"Well, I'm a model actually. I've done some acting work, too. Oh, and my new single is coming out soon too!" She brags, but I barely pay attention.

"Oh, cool. How did you get in here, actually?" I ask dismissively.

She gives me a big and fake-ish grin. "I'm visiting my best friend, of course! And my boyfriend, but that's not till tonight."

Boyfriend? But there's only one guy in this guild.

"Lucas?" I nearly choke on my own spit.

Layla bites her lip.

"Oh, yes! We've been dating on and off for about a year."

Holy crap. This 'lady' is getting less classier by the minute.

"Okay…" I nod slowly. "Imma go and get some food. Want some?" I ask Layla. I just want to talk to her, in private, away from the classy hooker for a minute.

"Oh, sure." Layla says shyly. I pull her arm and guide her right into the corner, the darkest one so that Ambi or whatever probably won't hear us.

"Who the freak is that?" I whisper to her, looking at Ambelle sheepishly. She's reapplying some shimmery lip gloss and gazing into a compact mirror.

"She's my bestie." Layla whispers back.

"Don't lie. Obviously you don't like her." I hit the back of her hand sharply cause she was going to chew on her nails again. Not good. "You look like you just saw a ghost."

Layla goes silent for a moment. "Okay, she's not exactly…My favorite person." She whispers, squeezing my hand.

"Obviously. Then what's up? You wanna grab a bite and ditch her?" I suggest. She seems to be going back to normal. Kind of.

She frowns and shakes her head. "We used to be the best of friends." She whispers, emphasizing on the word 'friends'. "But she just joined Scarlion. I…I don't know what to do. Should I ditch her or betray my own guild?"

I pull back my arm as if she just burned me. "You're best friends with someone from_ Scarlion_?"

Layla looks around nervously. "Yes," she nods. "P-Please, don't tell anyone! Naomi…she…she…" She trails off into a sob.

I don't know whether I should hug her or hit her. "Naomi? What does this have to do with anything?"

"I can't tell you. But please, don't say a word about this to anyone. Not yet. Not even L-Lucas knows. And you know how much we…we're supposed to hate Scarlion, but I don't! I don't hate them! I don't know what's this rivalry has to do with anything, but…but…." She whispers, in the midst of her tears.

"I won't. I promise." I whisper, wiping her wet cheek with my thumb. "It's okay. Although, as you can imagine, I don't really like Scarlion myself." I mutter somberly.

"I know. Which is why you can't tell anyone, not even Naomi. She'll tell her aunt, I just know she would, and then I'll get kicked out!"

I nod. It's not like I talk to Naomi often. Or ever, unless needed.

"Okay, so now I just wanna hang out with her for a little while…Before we set off tomorrow, okay?" She says. Hang out?

"Okay," I hear myself say. I'm not sure why I would approve. But I just did, I can't take it back.

"Thanks so much Shirs!" She hugs me tightly, and I feel the wind being squeezed out of me.

"Thanks great. But seriously, I'm starving. Can I just grab a bite now?"

Info: This took a long time to write. I'm having a brain fart. Don't worry, next chapter will be more interesting. I'll probably have to cut down on filler chapters. All I've been doing recently is introducing characters. Spoiler: Shirley will be 'visiting' Scarlion soon! Yipee! :/

The truth is I'm quite happy I've made it to ten chapters. This is like the furthest I've ever gotten on with a writing project. Hopefully I'll be motivated to write even more and eventually finish this story! But actually I haven't really planned on how this would end, but I think I have an idea of how it probably should. Stick around, yeah?


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: (sound of trumpet blowing) Thanks to my friend Ka-tay's Mind for motivating me to write this chapter faster. Hehe. If it wasn't for her, I think it might has taken twice as long for me to update. :/

Chapter 11: Frost and Flare

* * *

><p>"Here we go," Naomi whispers as we walk out of the station.<p>

"Yeah, probably brings back loads of memories, right Naomi?" I ask.

"Yeah, sure." She says warily.

We step into the greenery of Ellinia and I can hear Naomi holding her breath. The greenery here is way different from Leafre. I've only been here a couple of times before.

"Well, we can take a cab over to Henesys, or we could just hang out here for a bit." Layla suggests. After her day with Annabelle, she seems a little different.

"No way am I staying for any longer than needed in this hell hole." I hear Naomi murmur.

"Nah, I'm just going to stop by the department store and then we can head off." I reassure her.

We took off to Orbis this morning at about eight just to catch the big blue bird. And then after chilling at our (Cheryl's?) place for a bit we boarded on the ship to Ellinia. Which is where we are now, I guess. We're pretty jet lagged at the moment.

"Ooh, could we get some lunch first? I'm starving…" Layla whines.

"It's only noon. And we already grabbed a bite before taking off." Naomi snaps.

"But that was only a measly sandwich." She continues.

"Enough," Naomi huffs, picking up her pace. "I'll let you guys hang around for about half an hour, okay?"

Layla squeals happily. "What about you, Naomi?" I ask.

"I'm going to visit…A family member. It'll just take a bit. We could meet up at the taxi stand over there, okay?" She says slowly.

"Okay then. Half an hour." I nod before dragging Layla off to get some food. I didn't even know Naomi had family members she would willingly visit. Every time I mention Ellinia she seems to shudder to herself a little. Strange.

We walk around aimlessly, lugging our heavy suitcases over the greenery.

"Ooh, that one!" Layla points at this little pink hut, sandwiched between two giant trees. Or vines? I can't tell. Ignorance is bliss.

"Uh, I don't think you can get food there, Layla."

Layla just ignores me and walks towards it. "Don't be stupid. Has to be some food in there!"

Today probably wasn't the best day for me to wear open-toed sandals. There wasn't much of a heel, but I can still feel my feet sinking into the ground a little, the dew coated grass brushing against my toes. Even Naomi thought ahead and wore red sneakers.

Layla knocks the pink wooden door three times before turning the metal doorknob.

"Layla, this isn't a restaurant!" l hiss, pulling her hand back.

"Don't be ridiculous, Shirley. It's okay, I knocked!" She says, before turning the doorknob again and pushing it open before I manage to stop her.

The smell of chicken soup hits me and I feel my tummy rumble. I'm even hungrier than I realized.

"Come on!" Layla steps inside, bending her head a little to fit into the narrow doorway. "It smells sooo good."

I peer in and the lights are turned off. "Layla? I have a bad feeling about this." I whisper into the darkness.

"It's okay. I can hold your hand for you." She says, grabbing my hand and pulling me.

I suddenly feel a strong wind blowing against us. I turn around just as the pink door slams shut.

"Layla, let's get out of here!" I whisper into the darkness. "Layla? Layla?"

For a moment I just stand there, frozen. I can't hear Layla, I can't hear anyone. It's complete darkness. I can't even see my own fingers.

"Layla? Don't bullshit with me! I'm not joking!" I shout. I hear my voice echo and bounce off the walls I can't even see.

Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, holy crap. I turn around and try to feel for the door, but I can't feel it at all. It seems like I'm just in endless darkness. I swore there was a wall right there, barely inches from me a minute ago. I can feel my heart thumping in my chest. I can't see anything. I can't hear anything….

Wait, that smell. Chicken soup! Yes, I can smell it. And it's coming from….

I walk forward, dragging my suitcase close to me. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm just walking aimlessly towards the lingering smell of food. I hear my tummy grumble again. Great. I'm trapped in a suspicious pink hut in a town I'm not even familiar with, one of my team mates are missing, the other probably down town arguing with someone from her past and all I can think about is food.

The smell suddenly disappears, and I see a bright light ahead.

"Layla, is that you?" I shout, walking quicker than ever.

"Shirley!" I hear Layla shout. Her voice seems so far away.

I decide to ditch my suitcase for now and break into a run. "Layla, I'm over here!" I shout.

I stumble and nearly trip in my stupid sandals so I strip them off and continue running. The floor is hot and feels like sand.

"Shirley! Hurry up!" I hear Layla shout again, and her voice sounds even further.

"W-Wait," I shout, panting. I can't run this far. Wherever I'm running to, it seems to get even further.

I start walking again, and I feel the sand turn into water. I walk even more and the water gets even deeper, almost to my knees. I pull up my jeans and keep going. The strong wind blows again and suddenly the lights turn on.

"What the freak?" I yelp, as about two small kids suddenly jump at me and grab my arms, restraining me. "Let go!" I shout, struggling.

My eyes finally adjust to the light and I realize that I'm surrounded by people, in a bright pink room. Among those people were the little kids grabbing on to me, their grips surprisingly tight for their little hands, Annabelle, Griffin, and Layla.

"Layla!" I shout. One of the little kids – with a striking fuzz of red hair on top of her hair- punches me in the stomach and I stop resisting. That's going to hurt in the morning.

Layla is standing behind Annabelle - that classy hooker with neon pink hair – while crying. Annabelle seems distressed, whispering to Griffin.

"Griffin, what the hell are you doing?" I ask, my voice filled with rage. This was all him! Him and his stupid Scarlion posse!

He smirks and nods towards the funny looking kids and they let go of me roughly.

"If I were you, I wouldn't move, okay babe?" He says sweetly, walking towards me slowly.

"Like I would ever listen to you." I hiss.

He shrugs and twirls a strand of my hair around his fingers. "You haven't changed much, Shirley. Still so naïve. And cute." He whispers. His face was only inches from mine.

"Move the hell away." I whisper, disgusted. I haven't felt like slapping anyone this badly. Not even Cheryl. Not even _Naomi_.

He backs away, hands raised like he was surrendering. "Now, now. Don't need to get hasty, do we?" He grins.

I don't even know why I ever thought I liked him.

"Shut up." I say, feeling bolder than I've been in a long while. "Come on, Layla. We're going."

I glance at Layla, and she's still hiding behind Annabelle, crying softly into her stupid pink hair. And their holding hands, too.

"Layla?" I whisper. She just looks away and sniffles. "Don't tell me you're with _them_." I say angrily.

"I-I'm so sorry, Shirley. But…A-Ambi said…" She says between sobs.

"Excuse me? You're listening to her?" I say, raising my voice. "Are you going to listen to _her _or to your own teammate?"

She goes quiet for a moment before shaking her head.

"Look, Shirley, Layla already picked which side she'd rather be on, okay?" Griffin cuts in. He snaps his fingers and the two kids join his side quickly. "I wanted you to meet a couple of my new friends."

"I don't care. How did I get here? You know what, don't tell me. Just send me back." I snap.

Griffin just carries on as if I didn't interrupt him at all. "This is Frost and Flare. They're twins, naturally." He says, pointing at the kids as he introduces them.

Frost had very pale skin, short dark blue hair and calm blue eyes. Flare, his sister, I guess, had dark pink hair and blue eyes the same colour like Frost, only a bit more evil. They were dressed in matching suits, and if I didn't know they're with Griffin, I would have thought they were adorable.

"So now you're abducting little children, too?" I snarl.

Griffin laughs. "Actually, they're the ones who approached _me_. And, they're 12, only a year younger than you, so I wouldn't say that they're 'little children'."

"I'm fourteen, Griffin." I say through gritted teeth. "Why am I here? If you're thinking I'd give you information about Ariel, don't bother. I'll never tell."

"You're just here so we can stall for time. You've been trapped here for almost twenty minutes already. We're actually after your teammate, Naomi Grayson." Annabelle pipes up.

"Yeah, and if I'm not mistaken, we have her back at Scarlion HQ right now." Griffin adds.

Oh my God, they have Naomi? The niece of Ariel, practically the closest person to the guild if not Ariel herself?

"T-That's impossible. Naomi wouldn't go down that easily." I say shakily.

"Your friend Layla assisted us with that, actually." Griffin says, tugging on a strand of Layla's dark auburn hair. "She's makes a great distraction."

I glare at her, my stare filled with disbelief and anger. Layla just avoids eye contact and continues sobbing while Annabelle squeezes her hand gently while smoothing her hair.

"So what are your intentions? Want to bring Ariel down so your guild can forever be the best?" I ask Griffin.

"I can't tell the enemy, can I?" He points out.

"No, but you might as well since you've already made out with me, dumped me, forced my friend to join your stupid army and kidnapped me. Keep your friends close, enemies closer, yeah?"

"Smart girl. Now be a good one and step out that Mirror of Dimension right there." He pointed behind me, towards the portal which just opened.

I walk towards the portal, my bare feet moving noiselessly against the cold floor. "Layla?" I ask, stopping about an inch from the portal. I can just smell the air from Ellinia from it.

"She's not going." Annabelle says sharply and I just step into the portal without even hesitating.

* * *

><p>I step out of the pink hut before shutting the door gently behind me. The pink hut fades away slowly as I put my shoes back on.<p>

Right now, I need to go to Scarlion headquarters. I need to go and save Naomi. But I have no idea how to get there. I know it's like on an island between Victoria Island and Ossyria, but how am I going to get there? It'll be ages till the next ship comes. And I don't know how to open portals. But I think I know someone that might…

"Cheryl!" I start shouting suddenly. The pedestrians stare and shake their heads and titter but I don't care. This is the only shot I have at this. I can't be bothered that I look like a lunatic. "Cheryl, I need some help here!"

I stand there for a few minutes, suitcase at my heels, waiting. She's not coming. I haven't seen her since my birthday. She was always unsure about Griffin. Of all times, why couldn't she be here for me?

"Cheryl!" I scream again. I shout until my voice sounds hoarse, and for a moment I just feel helpless, defeated. I open my bag and root around for my cellphone. I turn it on and call Naomi, my hands shaking as I dial the numbers. "Pick up, pick up, pick up…" I whisper.

"Hello?" Naomi says, her voice small.

"Naomi, are you okay? W-Where are you? Layla…she…" I ask hurriedly.

"Don't come for me, okay? Go back to the guild." She whispers.

"What? Where are you? I'm coming to get you."

"Go back." She whispers. She sounds like she's going to cry.

"Naomi?" I shout and I realize she hanged up.

Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap. I redial her number but she doesn't pick up. I scroll through my contacts list, looking for someone I could call for help. I almost call Layla, but stop myself at the last minute. Don't want to interact with the enemy.

Oh, wait. Maybe_ she_ can help me…?

Scarlett picks up quickly. "Hey, what's up?"

"Hey, uhm, what are you doing now?" I ask awkwardly.

"I'm at the library at the moment. You sound…frazzled." She says.

Good, she's free. Well, kind of.

I clear my throat. "I need your help. Do you, uhm, know…where Scarlion HQ is?" She goes silent for a while. "Uh, are you there? Scar?" I say. "Don't hang up, please, don't hang up!"

"I'm here," She says. "Look, I don't think I can help you."

"Trust me, you can." I say hurriedly. "They got Naomi. And Layla."

"What? Shirley, where are you?" She asks.

"Uh…somewhere in Ellinia. Griffin and his friends took Layla…There was these portals…I'm not really sure what happened. But they have Naomi. I called her just now…she told me to go back to the guild, but obviously I nidda save her." I blabber.

Scarlett huffs loudly. "Then go back. Come back to Leafre, Shirley. Naomi is a big girl – she can take care of herself. Layla, too. She's done crap like this before. At the end of the day she just wipes her tears and comes back."

I'm not sure what to say. "Scar? Are you kidding me?" I scream. I don't know why I feel so angry.

"Look, Shirs, I know you're concerned. I am too. But my brother is just a little brat. Eventually he just gives whatever bad he does up. Things like this, and this alleged kidnapping? For all we know, Naomi could be on her way back right now. And as I've said before, Layla isn't evil. Her tiny little brain just takes some time to different shape right from wrong. Go back to the guild." She tells me before hanging up.

I stuff my phone back into my bag and start walking again, wiping tears with the back of my hand.

* * *

><p>"You're looking down in the dumps today." Cheryl grins..<p>

I stay quiet for a moment, just daydreaming. Cheryl walks and twirls around me, her long white dress trailing behind her.

"Did you just come back from a wedding?" I ask dismissively. The little bird in front of me is planning on taking a crap. Lovely.

"Actually, yes! I was one of the bridesmaids." She grins. Her hair is all shiny and perfect, and her cheeks are all rosy. She must of spent a long while making herself up.

"Do I know the bride?"

"Actually, you do. But I don't think I should tell you. Not yet, anyway. I could ruin the time space continuum or something." She says cheekily.

I sigh softly. "Maybe,"

She sits beside me, so close our thighs are almost touching. "Griffin, yeah?" She whispers.

"Obviously you would know. I needed your help, but you never came." I whisper, my head in my hands.

For a long time we just sit together, whispering to each other.

"Do you know how to open up portals?" I ask her suddenly.

"Uhm…" She starts. "Not in your time. But I know someone who does. In your time, anyway."

"Who? At the moment, I'm pretty desperate." I admit.

I glanced around. I was sitting against a mound of wooden crates - some of which were slightly damp, if I may add –sipping half a strawberry smoothie. I don't even like strawberry. I'm waiting for the ship to Orbis to come. It's been nearly half an hour already. It'll be ages till I manage to get even close to Scarlion.

"Why are you going for her?" Cheryl asks softly, perched on the very top of the mound.

"Because…my intuition is telling me I need to." I shrug.

She looks confused. "Intuition, heh? I don't really remember anything about that."

I laugh. "Sucks to be us."

I lean back, soaking up the hot sun. I'm not sure if this is the way to Scarlion. I'm not sure why I'm even trying. Months ago, before I even joined Ariel, I probably would have listened to Scarlett. But now…I just feel like I need to go. Like, it's my duty. I've already messed up the bulk of my life. Ariel was supposed to be a new start for me. I can't mess things up again.

"This isn't the way to Scarlion." Cheryl tells me.

"What?" I ask stupidly.

"They're only three ways to get into their HQ." She says, holding three fingers up. "First one is to make an appointment with a guild master. Second, you could just get there with a Mirror of Dimension and hope you don't get murdered. Three, you could sneak onto the ship that goes there every month, transporting their goods. Take your pick."

"At the moment, I think the third one sounds way more appealing. That female guild master, the one with the black hair, doesn't like me all that much." I admit.

"Yeah, but you just missed the last one." Cheryl says, frowning. "It past yesterday. You'll have to wait an entire month till it comes back."

"A whole month?" I repeat. I feel like crying.

"Wait, wait, wait! D-Don't cry! I know another way you could get in!" Cheryl says quickly.

I brush away imaginary tears and tell her to continue.

"Listen up…" She whispers, pulling me closer to her. "I can only tell you once. I know for a fact this method works. But there are some…precautions you need to be aware of. Are you sure you want to do this? Is she – Naomi, worth it?"

I think for a moment.

"Yeah,"

* * *

><p>Info: Check out my friend Ka-tay's Mind! Our stories are about two opposing guilds, mine Ariel and hers which is Scarlion.<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I'm actually quite excited to be doing this chapter. As I've said on my profile, I'll be taking a break after this chapter. Not quitting, or anything. Just a short break so my other friend could catch up on some work. This chapter is a mixture of past and present. The memories of her and Griffin, mixed in with her in Scarlion. Might be a little tricky to figure the memories out, but here's a hint. It's from the last memory to the first they've ever had. Enjoy! :D

* * *

><p>Chapter 12: "If you could wind back the clock, would you do things differently?"<p>

"Shirley," he whispered really softly into my ear.

"Hmph?" I whispered back, turning to face him slowly.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, playing with my hair. I can smell the mint on his breath.

"A little." I smiled lazily at him.

"Hey, maybe we could go out for some of that bubble tea crap. I think you'd probably love it." He suggested, sitting up slowly.

"Later," I grinned, snuggling back into his pillow.

"You're such a pig." He joked before kissing me on the cheek. He gets up from bed, raking his hand into his unruly black hair.

"You're the one who's talking." I giggled, sitting up too. "I better leave soon, then. Naomi would be wondering where I've been."

"Nah, I don't think she'll mind that much." He grins, and I feel my heart melt just a little. That's what his grin does to me. I'm so pathetic.

"You might be right." I had shrugged. "Oh, and thanks so much for today. I can't wait for the ball tonight."

"You're welcome." He said, kissing me on the lips again. I stared into his green eyes, wondering whether I should lean into him again.

"I…I need to go." I pulled away from him, staring at his lips longingly anyway. He just smiled and handed me my coat. "See you later at the ball, okay? Remember, outside of the café." I whispered into his ear.

"Bye, Shirley." He waved. "How bout we meet up inside? I heard it would rain tonight."

But it was too late; I had already slammed the door and went on my way.

* * *

><p>"Hey, are you okay?" Cheryl nudged me a little, interrupting my daydream. Or to be more precise, a memory that seemed so long ago…<p>

"Uh, yeah." I smile sadly at her. We were on this small airplane, so small that it was pretty crammed for only three of us. Or two, if you didn't count Cheryl, since she wasn't really supposed to be real. In this time, anyway.

Cheryl nods, returning to her magazine. Next to her was Train, looking grim faced in his black coat. It so happened that Train has a friend that could rent us a plane. It's only meant to carry one passenger, but I assured him that I was really light. Oh, and Cheryl is virtually weightless.

"How long more, Andreas?" He shouts to the pilot.

"Just a bit more, Mr Walker." He replies through the thin walls of the cockpit.

"Walker?_ That's_ your last name?" I say, raising an eyebrow.

"Be quiet." He throws me a dirty look and I quiet down instantly.

"You should be a teacher." I giggle a few minutes after. "I mean, that glare thing would totally work…" I trail off, noticing he wasn't finding it amusing. "It was just a suggestion." I say sheepishly.

I felt the plush seats shaking, so I turned to look at Cheryl in case she was having a seizure or something. But she was laughing. Like it was funny.

"Cut it out!" I whisper, kicking her shin, but I just end up kicking the other side of the seat. Stupid transparency.

Cheryl sticks her tongue out and shrugs. We were on our way to Scarlion. We're already made an appointment a while ago once we boarded the plane. You know the rule that you're not supposed to use phones on planes? When you're flying on your own (borrowed) plane, it doesn't matter. We used my phone for a whole fifteen minutes and the plane hasn't crashed yet!

And obviously, we got Train to do the call. He got points for being an apparently very accomplished bounty hunter and because he had no relationship with any other guilds. (A little of a lie, but whatever. Who knew whether he and Naomi would last?) We got through, after a small donation (also supplied by Train. What guys would do you save their cynical girlfriends) to be moved up the waiting list. In a little less than an hour, we would be having our meeting there. And we (probably) won't be killed! Yabe-yabe-doo.

Train is resting his chin on a clenched fist, tapping his foot noisily against the dusty floor. I'm pretty sure he's a little stressed. When he received the call I gave him half an hour ago, he was probably practicing his shooting skills because I could hear gunfire in the background. Really _loud_ gunfire. He marched over to Ellinia pretty quickly and we boarded his friend's plane.

"Sorry I made you…come along." I apologize for about the fifth time.

"It's…okay. I'm doing this for Naomi. Not for you." He says awkwardly, without even glancing at me. Not like I would ever think he would do anything for me. To him I'm probably just Naomi's friend. Maybe even less judging by the way she acts towards me when he's around. Fancy Mr Walker with his stupid black coats and slightly unbuttoned white dress shirts and awesomely hot chest.

Cheryl seems to notice me checking him out and raises her eyebrows suggestively. Wink wink, nudge nudge she seems to say. I just roll my eyes. A couple of girls (we're kind of the same girl, but that's not the point) alone with a hot guy. Oh, and our pilot Andreas who may or may not be an illegal immigrant. But I have the feeling if I do as much as tap Train on the shoulder, I'd end up in a hospital. Courtesy of Naomi Grayson.

* * *

><p>I rested my head against his one of his big shoulders, just daydreaming.<p>

"Hey, sleepyhead." He whispered brushing a stray hair away from my eyes.

I just smiled to myself. "Yeah?"

"You want to go out for some macarons? There's this new café in town." He suggested, squeezing my hand.

"Macarons are overrated." I murmured, pushing a bit of his spiky black hair away that was irritating my face.

"We could go for a cupcake, then. I know you're like addicted to those." He laughed.

"Can't we just stay here for a bit longer? I don't mind…" I asked, squeezing his hand back.

"Sure," he grinned, and my heart did another summersault. We had finished our outfit shopping already, after bumping into Naomi and Layla, and were taking a break on a bench outside.

"Shirley…I have something really important I need to ask you." He said urgently.

"What is it?" I asked, raising my head so I was sitting upright again.

"If you could wind back the clock, would you…do things differently?" Griffin asked, staring into the distance.

"It depends. Why?"

"Nah, it's nothing, babe." He kisses me on the cheek and everything goes back to normal. At least, I thought so.

* * *

><p>I felt someone kick me in the knee, and I wake up quickly. I didn't know I even fell asleep.<p>

"We're here." Cheryl hisses.

I glance out of the tiny and foggy plane window and all I can see are trees.

"We're landing soon, Mr Walker." Andreas says.

"Okay, thanks Andreas." Train nods. "Look Shirley, until we get Naomi back, keep your mouth shut." He says to me, emphasizing on the work 'shut'.

"Excuse me?"

"Just. Keep. Your. Mouth. Shut." He says slowly, like I'm stupid. "I know the receptionist Sarah. She used to be in my gardening class."

"Gardening class?"

"As I was saying," Train clears his throat loudly. "You just follow behind me, quietly. And bring your stupid ghost friend, too."

"Ghost friend?" I eye Cheryl out of the corner of my ear and she seems oblivious.

"Naomi told me." He rolls his eyes. "Anyway, keep your mouth shut." He reminds me, just as we land.

I step out of the plane and look at Scarlion as a whole. It's been so long since I've last been here. Seems like there have been some renovations…?

As soon as my open-toed sandal steps onto the ground, a loud ringing sound erupts from nowhere. I feel my ears explode or something.

"Freak," I barely hear Cheryl mutter over the sound before vanishing.

"Move!" Train shouts, running ahead of me. God, he runs fast. By the time I even start moving he's already made it to the door.

I look around, watching guards fly out behind the trees and I pause in my tracks. "Wait, we have an appointment!" I shout, closing my eyes in case someone shoots me in the head.

"We're good!" I hear one of them shout. The rest of them retreat to their posts, looking bored. And the ringing suddenly stops, too. God, this place is weird.

I hurry up and run over to the main doors and push them open a little warily. I glance behind me and watch as Andreas lights up a ciggy. Probably a lot for him to take in a single day.

Train is already leaning over the receptionist counter, talking to Sarah, a girl with long black hair and small pigtails. I can't tell what she's saying from here, but she seems to be furrowing her brow and nodding a lot.

The interior of the lobby seems unchanged, still looks like a hotel lobby. Cheryl suddenly appears next to me, seemingly human, before linking arms with me.

"Hey, you're not ghosty anymore." I joke, as we walk over to Train, trying to ignore all the stares.

"As I've said before, I can turn human whenever I need to." She whispered. "Look here," she taps against a blue headset over her ear, replacing her usual Half Moon earrings which Ariel members are accustomed to wearing. I wear mine day and night, cause I'm too lazy to take them out at times.

"What's that?" I whisper.

"Scarlion headpiece. I got you one, too." She smiles, passing me one quickly. "You better take off your earrings, too, at least. They're a dead giveaway."

I nod and do as she says. "Where did you get these?"

"I know a guy." She smiles again, patting me on the head.

Train turns away from Sarah and nods, acknowledging Cheryl with a confused look before steering us away to the cafeteria.

"We have ten minutes." He whispers, his hands in the pockets of his black coat again. Sometimes I wonder if he displays his giant gun in his holster beneath his coat as being show off-y or just because he has the balls to. On second thought, I do not want the answer to that question.

"That's all we need." Cheryl whispers back, loosening her black tie. She was wearing one over her white dress casually, so she looks surprisingly sophisticated now.

"Yeah, sure." I mumble. We walk through several hallways. Unlike Ariel, Scarlion does not smell of turpentine at all. I finger the outline of the blue earpiece I was wearing so I don't do something stupid. It feels weird and foreign and cold against my ear.

I feel something shoot into my arm suddenly, and I topple over. I hit the ground hard, clutching my shoulder with my other arm. Beads of pain shoot up along my left shoulder. On instinct I prize my hand off and I see blood gushing out.

"Freak! Shirley!" Cheryl shrieks.

I feel someone shaking me, shouting a name I can't really remember.

"Everything seems so…blurry." I murmur.

"Hold on, Shirley!" Cheryl gives me another hard shake. "Freak, Train, call for freaking help!"

I don't hear the rest of it, because by the time help does come I black out.

* * *

><p>He kissed me, softly, pulling me closer to him. I broke apart from him roughly.<p>

"What the hell are you doing?" I whispered, pushing him at arm's length. "I-I…just met you." My lips felt undeniably tingly afterwards though.

He raked a hand through his black hair. "Look, I-I'm sorry. We shouldn't do this." He said awkwardly. But for some reason we didn't move away. We stared at each other, wondering what it would feel like to try each other's lip action out again.

For some reason I was the brave one. My eyes just snapped shut like I was in a trance and I just leaned into it. His lips were soft, so soft and tasted like fried shrimp and mint. I felt his hand cupping my face while I was, in turn, hooking his neck with my arms.

We break apart for air after a while, just staring into each other. God, his eyes were so…pretty. Like striking emerald gems with deep sea blue edging. "You know, if you were a girl, you would be a really pretty one." I said all of the sudden. Like for a moment my mouth had no filter whatsoever.

He just grinned and we kissed again.

* * *

><p>I open my eyes after a while, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the bright fluorescent lights. I glance around. I'm lying on a white hospital bed, a small bouquet of flowers sitting next to a glass of water on my bedside table. My left shoulder is all wrapped up in bandages too.<p>

No one seems to be around, and I'm feeling way too exhausted to even sit up, much less walk around and ask what the hell happened to me. Maybe if I just close my eyes and go back to bed, I'll have enough energy later…

By the time I do open my eyes again, I could tell it was already night. I glance around again, and a girl with short purplish hair and big black eyes was staring down at me curiously.

"Hey," I say. My voice sounded really hoarse.

"You're awake?" She asks, her voice filled with disbelief and a little amusement.

"It would seem that way." I laugh, but it comes out like a squeak instead. "Where am I?"

"You're in the Scarlion infirmary. I'm so sorry for what happened." She apologizes quickly, taking a seat next to my bed.

"What happened, exactly?" I ask. Since I'm feeling a little lonely at the moment, I don't feel like shooing her away. Yet, anyway.

She seems a little nervous. "Someone…shot you in the arm. But it didn't hit anything important or anything. We gave you some local anesthetic before stitching your arm up. I-I'm…really, really sorry."

"Are you like…a nurse or something?" I squeak.

"Nah, not a nurse. Just a busybody." She whispers. "It wasn't a real gun, just a small BB one. But the bullet was real sized one. I don't know how she got it to work. The wound isn't really that deep, since she shot from a really far distance…"

"She? Who's she?"

The girl bites her lip. "This little girl named Flare. She's just twelve. You're not going to press charges against us, right?"

I think for a moment. Flare, Griffin's minion, shot me, in the shoulder. I have the feeling she was aiming for my head, too. And pressing charges? Why would I do that?

"I'm Phoebe, by the way." She says softly, standing up. "I hope you'll get well soon."

"W-Wait," I stutter. "Where are my friends? D-Did they get shot too?" Just thinking of what might of happened to them makes my heart race, my stomach ache. Or maybe I'm just really, really hungry.

"Your friends are fine. They're in the cafeteria. Naomi, too." She smiles at me. She has a really nice smile. She glances at the clipboard attached to the end of my bed and nods. "I'll come back with your friends in the morning, if that's okay with you?"

"Naomi? Uh, yeah. In the morning." I breathe. "Thanks, uh, Phoebe." I say, just as she pulls the white curtains shut around me. I just close my eyes and drift off into sleep again. For some reason I'm so sleepy…

* * *

><p>"My name is Griffin, by the way." The guy said, squeezing my hand gently. I felt my cheeks flush red. I'm sitting on a big blue bird, holding hands with this guy I've just met.<p>

"I'm Shirley." I smiled. "Are you in a guild?"

"Scarlion actually. You?"

"Ariel. But I just joined like, a day ago." I told him.

He nods, staring into the distance.

"You know, I heard that Ariel and Scarlion are like sworn rivals or something." He said.

"Why? I've never heard of that before." I asked, confused.

"I don't know." She shrugged. "Apparently there's this dark group in my guild that swears to hating everything about Ariel. From their people to their emblem to what you guys stand for. It's ridiculous."

I frowned. "That's…bad, yeah?"

"It's bad, all right." He nodded. "But at the moment they're lacking a good leader, so I doubt they could cause much harm at the moment. I heard there were even a couple of kids in there. But only a few other guild members know of this group."

"And you know, why?" I raised my eyebrows.

"I'm an inside guy, yeah know?" He grinned.

But of course I didn't know that eventually he would join them.

* * *

><p>I wake up the next morning, alone. There seems to be even more flowers on my bedside table. I'm not really sure what to do. I sit up, pushing myself up with my right arm. My left shoulder still hurts like crap.<p>

A loud ringing sound erupts, and Phoebe bursts into my room.

"Oh, God." She yelps, flipping some switches off behind me so the ringing stops. "You're sitting up, already?" She laughs.

"Uh, good morning?" I greet her. She looks at my clipboard again, nodding.

"Morning," she smiles at me. "You thirsty?"

"And hungry." I nod. What I'll do for some pizza. "You think you got some food around here?"

"Oh, yeah. You must be starving. What do you feel like? I could go over to the cafeteria and smuggle you something." Phoebe says, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"You have pizza?" I ask. I don't think people in hospital beds are allowed to eat pizza, though.

"Sure. What toppings to do want?"

"Peperoni. Oh, and loads and loads of cheese."

Phoebe just laughs. "Okay, coming up. I'll send your friends up with some water too." She shuffles out of the room quickly. She seems nice, I guess. Or maybe it's just because I'm injured or something and she doesn't want me to sue them.

I just rest my head against the hard pillows and try to rest. This mattress is so hard and lumpy. And I can't sleep on my left side – the side I usually sleep on – thanks to Griffin's minion. One day I'm going to shoot him. In the crotch.

"Excuse me?"

Someone pushes back the white curtains, and it turns out its Cheryl, a wrinkled grey sweatshirt pulled over her bridesmaid's dress.

"Ohmigawd, Shirley!" She squeals. She pushes a bunch of flowers off the table and dumps a close to full jug of water onto my bedside table. She hooks me with one of her arms and squeezes me tight.

"Shoulder, shoulder, shoulder, shoulder!" I say quickly, in pain, prizing her hands off me.

"Oh, I'm SO sorry, Shirs! I can't tell you how sorry I am! Maybe I could have sensed the bullet before it came…Or at least stood on your left side. I wouldn't have gotten hurt, I'm not even that real…I feel so guilty…" She blabbers.

"It's…It's okay." I give her a weak smile. "Do you think I could get some of that water…"

"Hey," Train peers through the curtain, looking awkward as ever.

"Hey, you're not wearing your coat!" I laugh. He just rolls his eyes and comes in. His dress shirt was all rumpled and his hair was all unruly.

"I gave it to Naomi." He half-smiles. "Here, thought you might want this. I bought it from a vending machine downstairs." He tosses me a bottle of milk.

"Uh…thanks." I prize off the bottle cap with my thumb and take a big gulp. After going without water for so long, it tasted like liquid gold. Or something.

"Oh, hey. Who sent you flowers?" Cheryl asks, picking at a slightly wilted looking bunch of pink carnations.

"I thought you guys left it there." I frown.

"Hey, look. There's a tag." Cheryl pulls out a small square of white card from within the mess of flowers. "Get well soon, Shirley. G." She reads aloud from it.

"Who's G?" Train asks.

Cheryl just shrugs and tosses the card back into the pile. I have the feeling I know who G is, anyhow. I didn't even know he'd been in here. Griffin.

"Woah, load of people in here already." Phoebe comes into the room, carrying a big plate with a few slices of hot pizza on it. She lays in on my lap and takes a seat.

"Who are you?" Cheryl glares at her sharply.

"I come here in peace." Phoebe laughs. She notices that no one is laughing with her so she just clears her throat before carrying on in a more serious tone. "Phoebe Ashlee Rivera. Nice to meet you." She puts her hand out and Cheryl shakes it gingerly. Train just stares.

"You must be Train Walker, yes?" Phoebe asks sweetly, extending her hand towards him. Train just scowls and shakes it reluctantly.

"How do you know my name?" He pulls his hand back forcefully, as if her hand was burning him.

Phoebe's expression seems unchanged. "You made an appointment with us yesterday, didn't you? You're a bounty hunter, aged 21, reside in the outskirts of Leafre."

Train raises his eyebrows slightly, about a nano-inch. Cheryl seems very surprised.

"Oh, and I know you've been dating Naomi Grayson for the past three months." Phoebe continues, standing up and getting ready to leave. "I assure you, I personally do not have anything against Ariel. But if I were you Shirley, I would leave before sundown before anyone finds out that I'm hiding you here." She whispers to me before shuffling outside.

"Woah," Cheryl breathes after a minute, breaking the silence.

* * *

><p>Info: Sorry it's longer than usual! Hope I didn't bore you to death. See you guys after a while! :)<p> 


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Explaining a bunch of secrets and stuff that have been asked (more or less by the same friend who I shall refrain from naming at the moment who also enjoys spamming my reviews). Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Chapter 13: Ariel's Secrets<p>

The heels of my black sneakers squeak against the newly polished marble floors. It's been a week and I've already got the stitches out of my left shoulder. Naomi – dressed in her favorite red power suit- , Train –wearing his coat over a black button down shirt, as always, no tie- and I –dressed _fashionably_ in green cami and jeans with taco stain- are trudging through the hallways, headed to the conference room.

"Is this a good idea?" I whisper to Naomi.

"Of course it is. Seriously, you won't believe what that Phoebe chick told me before we left." She shudders at the thought of it.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"I'll tell you later, okay?" She smiles sadly and pushes the heavy wooden doors of the conference room open.

The marble conference table has been covered with a pale pink tablecloth, barely visible under all the teapots and teacups and finger food. Sitting around the table was Ariel and several other fancy and elderly looking women.

They don't even bother greeting them. Naomi just pulls an Illbi star out and throws it at Ariel so fast it's all a blur. Ariel doesn't see it coming but manages to dodge it enough so it doesn't hit her face. A big clump of her gleaming blond hair falls to the ground anyway.

"What on Earth is going on here?" she shrieks, running a hand through her hacked-off looking hair.

"Ladies, do you think you could vacant this hall for a moment? Grab a snack at the dining hall, maybe?" Train steps in, saving the day.

They stand up and leave quickly. "And people say _our_ guild is bad." One of them whispers. "I really do need a drink. Where's the bar, dear?" The other asks Train. He just smiles and shows her the way.

Train comes back after a long and silent minute and shuts the door behind him gently. "Aunt Ary, we need to talk." Naomi says fiercely.

Ariel just returns to her seat and pours herself another cup of tea. "Take a seat then," she nods. "You do know you've just interrupted a very important meeting, don't you, Naomi?"

Naomi laughs hysterically and sits down into her favorite chair, her red stilettoes proudly displayed on the table. I sit silently next to her. "Oh, I know. You're planning on opening a new dorm or something, yeah?" she rolls her eyes. She seems to have everything figured out.

Ariel shifts a little in her seat. "Yes, and those were our potential sponsors." She says coldly. "What do you want?" she asks through gritted teeth.

"Explain," Train tosses her a folded and yellowing piece of paper. Ariel looks confused but opens it up meekly anyway.

Her expression changes quickly. "Where did you get this?" she exclaims, knocking a raisin scone over the table. I resist the urge to pick it up.

"That's not the point." Naomi crosses her arms and stares right into her aunt's baby blue eyes. Ariel seems scared, confused, _vulnerable_. "Explain to us what it's about, or it's going straight to _them_."

For some reason Ariel understands who 'they' were. She exhales loudly and covers her face with a perfectly manicured hand. "Naomi…There are things that I don't tell you for a reason." She says quietly.

Apparently this wasn't a good enough answer for Train because he pulled out his gun and fired. At her. Ariel dodges it easily, so the bullet just reflects off the walls and falls to the ground.

"What the hell." Ariel mumbles under her breath, smoothing her hair down.

"Look, Aunt Ary, we just want a simple compromise. Is that too much to ask? Oh, and put your gun away, Train." Naomi says evenly. She should be a lawyer, really. All she needs is a pearl necklace.

Ariel clears her throat. "Ariel has been a running, no, active guild for almost ten years now. I was the one that bought the name and began to rebuild with your uncle." She starts. "There were procedures…things that I did that I'm not proud of."

"Like?" I squeak.

Ariel swallows. "Starting up a guild was pricey. Pricier than I could of ever imagined. My bank accounts, weapons, amours…all went into this place." Her voice trails off in to a whisper as she moves her hand over the small dent Train caused in the pine walls. _Her_ pine walls. "I gave my own kids away, just so I wouldn't have to go into bankruptcy."

"Frost and Flare, right?" Naomi asks softly.

Ariel gives her a solemn nod. "I changed my name, too, so the adoption agency could never find me."

"Arraine Grayson, what exactly happened?" Naomi asks softly, reaching over the table to squeeze her hand. That's her name, then. _Arraine_ Grayson, not just Ariel. I'm confused as hell but I stay silent anyway.

A tear trails down her cheek. "I…I left them outside of Scarlion. The agency wouldn't take them. I couldn't afford to take care of them…"

"I'm…I'm so sorry." I hear myself say. "I had no idea…" Naomi gives me a look for interrupting and I go quiet again.

"And so many years later, they're still there, you know. They're twelve know." Train says. "That's why you couldn't stand Scarlion, right? It was just an excuse so you would never, never have to go back there. Someone might have realized."

Ariel frowns and wipes her wet cheeks with the edge of the tablecloth. "I've thought of getting them back multiple times before after Ariel took off and more and more sponsors came in. But I never did."

"Layla found out before any of us. Annabelle told her. She's been taking care of them for a week now. Couple of kids, living out there alone is bad enough." Naomi explains. "That day I disappeared in Ellinia, I went to Scarlion to find them. That purple haired girl gave that piece of paper to me. I didn't know Flare would have done that to you, Shirley."

"But…why? Why did she shoot me?" I ask.

"She doesn't want to come back." Naomi whispers.

"I…I don't blame her." Ariel pipes up. "This was all that I left them with." She shows me the yellowing sheet of paper and I gulp.

'_Take care of them.'_ It said simply in faded cursive.

"They must hate me. So much…" She bursts into sobs and Naomi pulls her into a bear hug.

"They don't. They don't hate you. They just…prefer living with Scarlion at the moment." She whispers. "And I'm sorry about the wall. And your hair. We'll pay for it. Right, Train?" she smiles sweetly.

* * *

><p>"So it seems you did get something out of that little meeting at Scarlion?" Missa remarks, playing around with her bendy straw.<p>

"Well, I got a bullet to the arm. Naomi and Train probably got better stuff out of it." I joke.

We were sitting at a small restaurant, Missa and I, catching up. She actually managed to escape from Orbis for a bit to meet me.

"I didn't know that Ariel had kids, really. Had no idea." Missa says awkwardly.

"Yeah, me neither." I nod.

The doors of the café open slowly and a woman with short brown hair and loads of frown lines saunters in.

"That lady could use some anti-aging cream." Missa whispers and I giggle politely.

"Excuse me, are you from Ariel?" The lady asks us.

"Uh…" I exchange a look with Missa.

"Yes. Why do you ask?" Missa asks.

Now that she's close up, I can tell that she's way older than us. Maybe in her late forties?

"Do you know my daughter Naomi? Naomi Grayson?"

"Holy crap." I mutter under my breath.

Missa kicks me under the table. I bite my tongue. "Yeah, we know her. Who are you, again?"

She clears her throat. "Do you know where I can find her?"

"What relation do you have with her?" I pipe up. "Not to be mean to anything…But we don't know you."

"I'm her mom."

* * *

><p>"I'm worried. It's been half an hour already. How can they not be done?" I say, my voice sounding frazzled.<p>

"I'm sure they're just working out some issues." Missa offers.

We're sitting in the lobby, just waiting. Naomi and her mom and Arraine are in the conference room.

"I can hear a lot of shouting." I bite my lip. "Do you think we should like go in and…intervene?"

"Shh," Missa hushes me and I just cross my arms over my chest.

I kind of wish Layla was here with me, anyhow. I've haven't seen her for a week already. I miss her.

"I miss Layla too." Missa whispers to me.

"Stop reading my mind!" I snap. "Sorry…Just feeling a little…cranky." I apologize quickly.

"It's okay." She smiles and holds my hand.

My phone in my pocket rings and I fish it out quickly.

'_Get Alice in here ASAP.' _

"Naomi texted me…Do you know where Alice is?" I ask.

"Who's Alice?" Missa asks.

"Oh, right, you don't know her yet." I frown. My phone rings again and I flip it open quickly.

'_Oh, wait, just remembered you're dumb. Use the intercom and get her down here.' _

"What's up?" Missa asks again.

"It's Naomi again…Do you know how to use the intercom?"

"Not really. But it can't be that bad. It's just an intercom." Missa shrugs, walking over to the receptionist counter.

My phone buzzes. "It's probably Naomi again." I murmur.

'_Pick up the phone and dial 615.'_

"Pick up the phone and dial 615…wait…isn't that the end of my phone number?" I tell Missa.

"Must be just a coincidence?" Missa says unconvincingly. She picks up the phone (which is scarlet red, why am I surprised?) and dials. "Hello? Uh, attention?" Her voice booms over the speakers.

"Keep going!" I whisper.

"Alice, you're needed at the conference room. Immediately. Uh, that is all." She puts the phone down gently and bursts into giggles. "That. Was. Awesome!"

"Yeah, I know. But do you think she heard it?"

"Obviously. Unless she's out of the guild at the moment…"

Before Missa can even finish the sentence, Alice bolts down from the top of the stairs, her long brown hair tangled and dripping wet.

"W-What's going on? Is there like a fire or something?" She asks hurriedly.

"Uh, no, no fire." I say, and her expression changes quickly. She looks bored now.

"Then you called me down here for nothing? I was in the middle of a shower, you know." She snaps, squeezing her brown hair so water drips onto the floor.

"Your hair smells great, by the way." Missa adds quietly.

Alice throws her a dirty look and I see Missa flinch. I wonder if Train and her have met.

"Naomi and Arra – I mean Ariel wants to see you in the conference room." I tell her.

"Conference room?" She repeats, furrowing her brows into a puzzled expression.

"You haven't been in there, have you? Thought so." I frown. "Come on,"

We walk over to the conference room, me, Alice and Missa who's trailing behind us unsurely.

"Am I…in trouble?" She whispers to me.

"I don't think so. Why would you? Did you do anything bad?"

"I don't think so." She says unsurely.

As we approach the heavy wooden doors I can already hear that the loud shouting has turned into various clanging noises and hushed conversation. I can't tell exactly what they're saying, cause it's all muffled, but it's still loud all the same.

I knock twice and open the door. "Uh, hey." I greet them.

Naomi is standing up, candlestick in hand, Arraine sitting in the corner calmly and Naomi's mom on the order side looking like she's going to cry.

"W-What's happening?" Alice squeaks, glancing around warily. "Mom!" she runs over to Mrs Grayson and hugs her tightly.

"Mom?" Missa whispers to me. I just shoot her a 'I-don't-know-what's-going-on' look.

Naomi looks at me, her deep blue eyes seeming to have flames shooting out of them. "What. Are. You. Doing. Here." She says slowly.

"We were just leaving." Missa smiles politely at everyone before dragging me out of there.

"What the hell was that?" I ask her once we're out of earshot.

"Family issues, I guess.

* * *

><p>All night, I just toss and turn in bed. I still can't sleep on my left side, so falling asleep is even harder these days.<p>

"_Mom!"_

Alice's voice in still ringing in my head. Is she Naomi's sister or something? That would explain why their hair is exactly the same colour and their eyes are almost the same shade of blue. And Naomi was always going on and on about how her mom was a slut or something. Oh, wait, Shirs. You can't be bad mouthing about other people's moms. I mean, I barely even met her yet. Which reminds me, how's mom doing? I haven't been back to visit her grave in a while.

It's been almost a whole year since I've joined Ariel. I've went on a total of 8 jobs (11 if you considered Cheryl's 'fake' ones) but I haven't been home for over half a year.

My mom died when I just turned 9, when I just turned level 40. I was just playing around way outside of town thinking that I'd be fine. My Dark Sight ran out quicker than I thought and I only had enough magic for a measly Haste. A swarm of Harps started chasing me and I ran. I ran, and ran…and tripped over a vine and fell into a pit of Birks.

My mom saved me, of course. She realized I was away past dinnertime and came looking for me. She wasn't that much of a fighter; I haven't seen her pick up a weapon even since I started fighting myself. But I heard she used to be a heck of a Chief Bandit. They didn't have Fourth Job Advancements back in 'her time', and even if there were she wouldn't have done it. She says she'd rather stay home and bake brownies with me…

She never made it out of that pit in the end, and Harps have haunted my nightmares even since. The entrance examination into Ariel was particularly tough for me. I had to battle about 50 of them. I went on to living with my nan till she got fed up with me cause all I did was cry and sulk after mom's death. And now here I am, in the second best guild in the whole Maple World. Mom would be proud. At least, I hope she's proud.

I reach over to my bedside table for the yellowing picture I have of my mom, framed in an expensive wooden frame I had made myself one lonely night. One of the only pictures I have of the mom, since she hated being around cameras. It's the picture of her at my 6th birthday, the first birthday we celebrated after dad left. Her hair was tied into a messy side braid, red wispy tendrils framing her delicate face, smiling to the camera reluctantly. I remember that year I was obsessed with Aqua Road and mermaids, so she spent all day making me an underwater-themed birthday cake.

I press the photo to my chest and just stare at the cream coloured ceiling. I wonder how Naomi is feeling, meeting her mom after so long. And now she finds out she has this supposed new sister. Is she wide awake right now, staring at the ceiling in her king-sized bed too? Maybe she's hugging her tiny Train doll. Sometimes I wonder.

And Layla? She's probably in Scarlion right now, taking care of Ariel's kids. Obviously Annabelle and Griffin aren't smart enough to do it. Maybe Layla has this maternal instinct or something. I wonder if she misses me.

I close my eyes and after a long while I finally drift into sleep.

* * *

><p>I'm sitting with Alice in the dining hall, poking at a plate of scrambled eggs.<p>

"What are you thinking 'bout?" Alice suddenly asks. Today her hair is back into its usual pigtails and she's wearing a purple jumper.

"The meaning of life." I tell her, feeling very bored.

"You mean 42?" She asks.

"What? Uh, no. More of the meaning of _my_ life." I smile queasily at her. I'm starving, but I don't feel like eating scrambled eggs, and I can't afford to buy anything else since Naomi won't go on any jobs with me.

"Really makes you wonder, yeah?" She asks, resting her head against the new mahogany table. "Sometimes I just wished things weren't so complication."

I resist the urge to hi-five her. That would just ruin the mood. "Yeah," I say carefully. She seems smarter than I expected.

"You know, I just turned Level 35 yesterday. I'm a Mechanic. I'm not as good as you or my sister Naomi, or even good enough to really be in this guild, but do you think we could be like…training friends?" She asks.

"Sure…" I smile. She reminds me a bit of nine year old me. "But don't go near any Harps or Birks, okay?" I squeeze her hand.

"Wait, what?"

"Nothing. But seriously. If you want to train, no going out of town. Okay?" I wish I had someone to tell me this back then.

"Oh, sure." She nods, confused anyway. "Why, again?"

"It's…It's a long story."

* * *

><p>Info: I'm back! Did you miss me?<p>

This chapter is rather shorter than the usual, but I do think it kinda explains a lot. And trust me, the Grayson bloodline is really confusing. Griffin and other Scarlion members are coming back next chapter, in case you're getting bored with just Naomi and Shirley. I can understand.

I have a new story up on Fiction Press called 'Socially Awkward?' Check it out if you're bored.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I actually wrote this weeks ago in my old notebook at school, much like Phoebe in this chapter. She's scribbling down notes for a novel, apparently. (rolls eyes) We all know that isn't going to work out. And if you haven't noticed yet, Phoebe is based on yours truly.

Chapter 14: Meeting with Scarlion

He snatches the Polaroid picture out of my hands roughly and I feel myself fuming.

"Dark blue eyes, mousy brown hair, full lips, very petite, she really is Naomi's mom." He raises his eyebrows.

"Shut up, Griffin." I snatch the picture back from him and stuff it back into my pocket. Alice gave me that picture, actually.

"Oh, come on, Shirley. I'm just saying…"

"Shut. Up. It's already bad enough I got shot in the arm. Now I have to hang out with _you_ too?" I snap.

"That shooting wasn't my idea. Can't you just move on from it? Flare stole Annabelle's bullets and…" Griffin starts.

"Whatever. I forgive Flare, but not you."

"Oh?" He smirks.

"She's just a kid. Who's under_ your_ care."

"Whatever you say." He rolls his eyes.

We're sitting in the hallway slash waiting room, awaiting our inedible doom. Or, our meeting with one of Scarlion's guild masters.

"Can you not sit so close to me?" I hiss.

"Don't get your panties in a knot." He sticks out his tongue at me and moves a seat away.

I narrow my eyes and scoff.

"Aren't you going to ask me about your friend?" He asks suddenly.

"You mean Layla?"

He laughs. "Well, I didn't say 'Layla', exactly. But now that you've mentioned her, she's _my_ girlfriend now." He grins wolfishly.

I'm not sure what came over me. I lift my hand and ram Griffin's shoulder against the wall, hard.

"What the…"

"Listen here, douchebag." I whisper urgently to him. "If you hurt her, no, even _think_ about hurting her, I swear, I won't hesitate to _kill_ you. I would shove a steely so far down your throat you would_ taste _my armpit." I shove him to the other side and go back to my seat, crossing my arms over my chest, smoke practically coming out of my ears.

He swallows. "I was just joking. She's not my girlfriend. And that was really graphic, you know."

"Why should I believe you?" I raise my voice.

"Because…" he starts, leaning closer to me. "I'm still in love with you." He whispers before kissing me on the lips. I feel my toes curl in my shoes.

"Shirley Fox and, uh, Griffin? We're ready for you." The receptionist calls for us suddenly and we break apart quickly. I push him away as if he's just burnt me.

"That…that _thing_, it didn't happen, okay?" I whisper to him as we enter a large conference room.

"What thing?" He asks innocently.

"Don't play dumb with me." I hiss again, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. "Don't bother trying to throw me off. I'm fully focused on this mee-"

Before I manage to finish he kisses me again gently. I resist the urge to swear as we sit down, feet away from the guild master. The one with the black hair, this time, to my dismay. Next to her was Phoebe, the girl who visited me what in the infirmary, scribbling furiously into a black notebook.

"Shirley Fox, nice to meet you. Call me Kate." She sticks out a dainty looking hand. I shake it reluctantly.

"Uh, yeah. You too. Just call me…Shirley." I smile awkwardly, waiting for her to release the eagle grip she has on my hand so I can massage it under the table.

She lets go after what seems longer than needed and turns to Griffin.

"Griffin," she greets him, her tone suddenly stern.

"Nice to see you again, Katey!" he says cheerfully, shaking her hand up and down forcefully.

"It's been an _hour_, Griffin." She pulls her hand back as if it's been infected.

"Yes! And I've missed you so very beary much!" he says in an annoying high-pitched voice, like how you would talk to a baby or small animal. "Who's a cute guild master? Who'sacuteguildmaster? You are! No you are!"

Kate kicks him under the table.

"Owh," he grunts, rubbing his foot.

"Let's get down to business, shall we?" She suggests, emphasizing on the word 'we'.

I nod and Griffin mumbles "Shit…This is gonna bruise." under his breath.

"How's your shoulder?" She asks suddenly.

"Uh, okay, I guess. Do you wanna see it?" I answer awkwardly, fiddling the sleeve of the black suit Naomi lent me. Because she's way shorter than me, the skirt that was supposed to graze my knees barely covered my thighs. I wore tights underneath, before leaving my room in the end.

"No, thank you. I am aware that Flare Grayson shot you in the left shoulder two weeks ago at 1500 hours?"

"Flare…Grayson?"

"Oh, please. Nothing goes on in the guild without me knowing." She says to me.

I swallow and look over at Griffin. He's stills peering underneath the table and checking his leg.

"Freak, it's bleeding. Excuse me for a minute, ladies. I'm just going to bandage my wound. This won't take long." He does a little bow and leaves, limping for good effect.

What a little git! Leaving me alone with this 'Kate'. I doubt his leg even hurts. How do you kick someone's foot till it bleeds, anyway?

"So, you and him?" Kate raises an eyebrow once he's out of earshot.

"Uh…Not really."

"Liar. You guys were making out." Phoebe narrows her black eyes and stashes her notebook away. "In _our_ hallway."

"We're NOT together, Phoebe." I snap.

"You know each other?" Kate asks.

"Barely," Phoebe conks her head to the side and observes me. She smiles slyly and goes back writing. She seems different from the last time we met. Less friendly. More of an evil glint in her eyes.

"Don't mind her. She's just my…assistant." Kate apologizes.

"I'm being punished, apparently." Phoebe shrugs her bony shoulders. Her shoulder blades look like rubbing them would cut you.

"Anyway," Kate clears her throat. "Would you like a drink? Tea, maybe?"

"Darjeeling," I say and Kate whispers something into her earpiece.

We stare at each other for about another moment before Griffin saunters in, his left foot vacant of a sneaker.

"I'm back," he grins, sitting next to me.

"What happened to your shoe?" Phoebe asks in a bored voice.

"It had to go to make way for this!" He plunks his foot on the table, half covered in band aids with cartoon dinosaurs on it.

"How childish," Phoebe remarks before returning to her notebook. What is she writing in that thing?

"Yes, thanks for finally acknowledging me, Phoebs." Griffin replies, taking his foot down.

Phoebe snickers and mumbles something inappropriate under her breath.

"Phoebe, be nice." Kate says lightly. "Let's just make this simple for everyone. Shirley, have you decided whether or not…?"

"I'm not going to press charges." I say quickly. "I know it was just a big mistake. There's no need to press further into something small like this. I mean, we mages get injuries all the time, yeah?"

"That's great, babe." Griffin says, pulling an arm over my shoulders, being careful not to put any weight on my left before kissing me on the cheek.

"Freak off!" I yell, pushing him off roughly.

"Woah, settle down, Shirs." Griffin says softly, a flash of sadness passing over his emerald green eyes. "I'm just joking…I missed you, Shirley. Seriously."

I look at Kate and she seems just as shocked as I do. Phoebe raises an eyebrow and whispers something into Kate's ear.

"Look, we broke up over four months ago. Now suddenly you show up and 'claim' to still be in love with me?" My voice gets even louder with each word.

"Uh, yeah." Griffin nods slowly. He seems like saying the wrong thing might end up with him back in the infirmary.

Right on cue, Sarah, the receptionist with the black hair and small ponytails comes in with a tray laden with an expensive looking teapot, china teacups and chocolate covered biscuits.

"Tea is ready. Oh…Is this a bad time?" She glances at us warily.

"It's okay. Bring it in, Sarah. I'm famished." Phoebe pipes up. Sarah puts the tray down gently before leaving in a hurry.

"Shirley, on behalf of Scarlion, I would like to formally apologize about what happened to you." Kate says, pouring everyone a cup of tea.

"It's…okay. Really." I assure her and she almost smiles at me. "No bad feelings." I wonder why they even bother to apologize this much. I'm sure there's plenty of conflict in between guilds all the time. Is it because Ariel is a pretty big guild? Because in future we may have an upper hand over them?

"That's great, but I think you have some unfinished business to settle." Kate winks at me before dragging an irritated Phoebe outside ("Let the F go of me! I haven't finished my biscuits yet!" she had hissed but Kate just rolled her eyes and tugged harder on her sleeve. She must have gotten used to it already), leaving me alone with Griffin.

Crap, crap, crap-ity, crap.

Griffin is the first to speak. "Shirs, I'm sorry if I made you like…uncomfortable. It's my fault. I shouldn't have tried to-"

I grab him by his collar and kiss him on the lips before shoving him away again.

"I…I'm sorry." I hear myself stammer. I feel my face turning even more and more red by the second. I hide my face with a curtain of hair, so he doesn't know that shoving him away was the last thing I wanted to do.

"Is that a yes?" Griffin grins when I finally peer up again.

"What do you mean?" I squeak.

"As in, you still like me?"

I stare at him for a moment.

"I guess?"

"SHIIIRLEEEY!" Layla screeches, like a cat sharpening its claws against a chalkboard, running up to me in her two-inch heels.

"Crap, crap, crap, crap…" I mumble just as she practically strangles me into a bear hug. I can feel the wind being squeezed out of me. "Okay, you can let me go now!" I yelp, struggling out of her tight grip.

"Oh, I've missed you SOOOOO much!" She squeals, shaking and squeezing me like a stress ball.

"Me too!" I say with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. "Now…could you uh, let me go already?"

She lets go of me and grabs my hand and starts pulling me towards the lobby. "Ohmigawd, this guild is SOOOOO different from Ariel!" She says.

"Uh, yeah."

"Look! This is Sarah. She's really nice." Layla waves frantically at Sarah like she was drowning before dragging me forward.

"Help me," I mouth to Sarah and she just gives me a withering glance.

"Anyway, I'm so sorry about what happened to you." She slows down and turns to face me.

"My shoulder? Well, it's-"

"Not the shoulder, silly!" She cuts in. "About leaving you behind. In Ellinia. I'm sorry."

"Oh…It's okay. I know you went to take care of Arra- I mean Frost and Flare."

She gives me a weird look. "Uh, yeah. Take care of them. Sure." She says nervously.

"So, you hungry?" I ask in attempt at changing the subject.

"Yeah! I could totally go for a tofu burger right now." She says excitedly.

"Tofu burger?" I repeat, scrunching up my nose just at the thought of it.

"They're really good! And Annabelle helped me go vegie. I don't eat meat anymore."

My mind just about explodes.

"But you LOVE meat! I mean, your favorite food was beef burgers!" I snap, emphasizing on the word 'beef'.

"I dunno. I think they taste pretty okay. You should try one." She continues.

"I am NOT going to eat a stupid tofu patty." I say as evenly as possible.

"Tofu burger." She corrects me.

"Again, don't care!" I snap. "The only reason I'm meeting with you today is cause I wanna ask if-"

"I'm not going back." She finishes for me. "I'm not." She repeats quietly.

"My jaw drops a little. "Why not?" I ask softly.

"Scarlion…I feel like I can breathe better here." Layla says lamely. "I'm sorry. But I'm not going back to Ariel."

"Is it Frost and Flare? Seriously, Ariel is willing to take them back already. You don't need to let them drag you down like that."

"It's not, it's not that." She says firmly.

"Is it Naomi, then? Giving you a hard time all-"

"Just listen!" She shouts, interrupting me.

About half of the people in the lobby are staring at us. I clear my throat.

"I don't want to be in Ariel anymore. I don't want to live with the _pressure _of _always_ having to be the best! Here, in Scarlion, they don't care! I just wished you guys could just accept that." Layla says.

I open my mouth to protest but nothing comes out.

"Here. I've been meaning to return these." She hands me a handkerchief with something inside.

I unfold it carefully. "Your Half earrings." I whisper.

"I don't need them anymore." She says calmly. Not that I look closely, I can see the outline of Scarlion's earpiece under her hair.

"But-" I start.

"No buts, Shirs." She wraps the earrings up and tosses it into my tote bag for me. "I've had enough."

I feel tears forming in my eyes. "Layla…This guild. You don't belong here." I say softly.

She just shakes her head. "Goodbye, Shirley."

I don't notice her walking away because my vision was already blurry with tears.

"Bye," I whisper to no one in particular.

I plunk a stack of thick books in front of her, startling her a little because she was engrossed in yet another Italian novel.

"Hey, little pet. What's up?" Scarlett asks me from behind her reading glasses.

"The ceiling." I grumble, sitting down opposite her.

She just rolls her eyes. "Unhappy over something?"

"Understatement of the year." I reply scornfully.

She folds her glasses up and leans towards me. "Because…?" She asks gently.

I half-smile at her. "I had my meeting with Scarlion this morning."

"And?" She pesters.

"And, I met with one of the guild masters. Kate Windsor or something." I continue.

She raises her eyebrows as if she expected more than a 13 word sentence.

"Okay, and your little brother was there." I say.

She raises her eyebrows even higher.

"We kissed."

Her eyebrows shoot up even higher.

"Okay, we kissed three times. Happy?" I say, exasperated.

She laughs for about a second before going back to her usual, ready-to-make-a-sarcastic-comment expression. "You guys are back together then?" She asks.

"Possibly," I muster as much energy I have so I don't smile or break into laughter. Emotionless face, emotionless face, emotionless face…

She just shrugs and puts her glasses back on. "No talking in the library." She reminds me.

We sit in silence for a while, just reading. I was studying up on lucid dreaming and the monsters of Aqua Road. Just for fun, obviously.

"So why are you unhappy?" Scarlett asks.

"I thought you said no talking." I point out.

"Do you think I actually believe that?" She snickers.

"No…" I say slowly. "But it is the golden rule of the library, isn't it?"

"Who's going to reinforce that? The librarian doesn't show up. We're the only two people who ever come." Scarlett points out. "Did you see Layla?"

I gulp. "Yes…" I say carefully.

Scarlett raises her eyebrows again.

"She told me she turned vegetarian. And she's not coming back here. By the way, has anyone told you that you have a lot of forehead?"

She chuckles politely. "I'm not surprised."

"That Layla turned into a hippy?" I offer.

"Vegetarians aren't hippies." Scar says tactfully. "Not surprised that she likes them more. She was always unsure about this place until you came."

"I'm confused." I say after a moment.

"Look, vegans are probably hippies. I'm pretty sure-"

"Not about that. What do you mean when you said 'until I came'?" I interrupt her.

"Layla was really quiet and sad before you came, actually. Kinda hard to believe, right? It's like she's on steroids now. She was going to quit, the day of the group ceremonies. But then she found you and Naomi. Permanent 'Shirley' rush, I call it." She laughs.

"Oh, Shirley as in sugar. Funny." I say, not really meaning it.

She gives me a funny look and shrugs. I was almost expecting a long and boring lecture about masochism and socialism.

"You're probably feeling crappy, yeah? Want to skip todays study session and get some unhealthy and processed food?" Scar suggests.

"That," I slam my book shut. "Sounds lovely."

Info: Nothing much to type in here, sadly. :P

Thanks to one of my friends Li Gi from school for motivating me to write more.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Hello everyone! This chapter is more explaining. I'm terrible at writing anything involving action. (hangs head in shame, again) Let me give you a synopsis. Shirley meets Miranda, Naomi has a meltdown, Griffin tells Shirley the truth about where his money actually comes from. Enjoy!

Chapter 15: Ariel's Plans

I knock on Naomi's black door three times before turning the brass doorknob cautiously.

"Naomi?" I open the door and peer in.

Three razor sharp Ilbi stars come flying my way but I dodge them swiftly.

"Seriously?" I cry. I glance around and Naomi's stars disappear into a cloud of smoke.

"I'm in the kitchen!" Naomi shouts from inside.

I walk over as slowly as possible. Boxes are stacked around and the room seems like it was emptied in a hurry.

"Are you…leaving the guild?" I ask her.

She turns around and laughs. "Yeah, right!" She snarls.

I roll my eyes. She looks really pretty in her white tank top, black leather jacket tied around her waist.

"Then what's with the boxes?" I ask.

"I'm moving in with Train." She says cheerfully.

I giggled before I could stop myself. Not just giggle, but laugh. I throw my head back and laugh like Santa on Christmas Day. I even skip around Naomi's kitchen, flinging random things into boxes for her.

"This place is going to be my weekend house, though." She says, an amused expression on her face.

"Oh," I calm down and wipe tears from the corners of my eyes. "Just as well."

Naomi just snickers something about Train's place only a couple minutes' walk from here and I feel my heart sink a little.

"Why are you here again?" She snaps.

"You called me here." I point out.

"I told you to come at four sharp. It's three fifty- five. I'm not ready to speak to you."

I open and close my mouth like a goldfish. "Five minutes, really. How unready could you be?"

She throws me a dirty look and switches on what seems to be a pink and black polka-dotted vacuum cleaner. "Five minutes. That's the time I need to hoover the carpet."

I watch as she drags it around, sucking up miniscule clumps of dust noisily.

"Your time is up." I say loudly. I hope she heard me over the noise.

"That wall clock is fast. I still have 23 seconds. 21 seconds." Naomi yells.

"How do you know?" I ask but the sound of the vacuum drowns out my voice. She's not even wearing a watch.

She turns the machine off and brushes imaginary specks of dirt off her shorts. "Years of training, I guess. During the weekends I spent at the guild, Aunt Ary made me time my own time-outs as a kid. I would get spanked if I was even thirty seconds early. Now my brain works like a ticking time bomb or something."

"Ouch," I remark.

She unties her jacket and throws it over her shoulders in one fluid motion. No wonder Train is head over heels for her. I could never do that.

"You want a drink?" She asks.

"I'm good." I say nonchalantly. She picks up her black cat, Mickey, and steers him away to the bathroom and shuts the door.

"Potty time." She whispers as she locks it. I wonder why she would need to lock the door. It's not like a cat knows how to open a bathroom door, right? Knowing Naomi, it's better not to ask.

"Come on. It's meeting time for us humans." She jokes, walking into her bedroom. I just following obediently behind her.

I open my mouth first. "Look, Layla-"

"Isn't coming back. I know." She finishes for me smoothly. 'Do you want to recruit new members or what?"

I lean against a few stacked boxes and think. "Who?" I ask simply.

She smirks. "Miranda, get in here!" She shouts.

Her door opens slowly and a really tall girl, even taller than Annabelle enters the room. She has really long brown hair and gorgeous olive skin.

"Miranda, meet Shirley. Shirley, Miranda." Naomi introduces us to each other.

We stare at each other for a moment. She has deep blue cat-like eyes and…

"Aren't you…sisters?" I think out loud.

Naomi clears her throat. "Yes, this is Miranda Grayson, my 21 year old sister." She announces proudly.

I hear loud mewing coming from the bathroom.

"What, is this a family reunion or something?" I ask. Unlike Naomi and Alice, Miranda has choppy bangs which look like she cut it herself.

"Not really." Miranda shrugs. Her voice sounds somehow booming and pleasant at the same time.

"She's a Fighter. Level 63." Naomi continues.

I raise an eyebrow.

"I'm a good information gatherer. I'm in the Higher Class, actually." Miranda pipes up.

"Information gatherer?" I repeat.

She nods. "I could demonstrate, if you like."

I exchange glances at Naomi before nodding.

Miranda smiles. "Shirley Fox, age fourteen as of the 27th of January. Level 82 Hermit. Only child. In a relationship with-"

"No one." I interrupt her. Naomi gives me a weird look. I can't let anyone know about me and Griffin. Not yet, anyway. "How…Do you know so much about me?"

"I know info on just about every mage." Miranda smiles evilly. "I can be very persuasive if it means even getting the tiniest bit of knowledge about anything or anyone. I have the memory of ten computers, naturally."

"O…kay." I say slowly. Obviously she's stronger than me by a long shot. If we were in a match I have the feeling I'd be very disadvantaged. She probably has knowledge about my fighting style and weaknesses. (I'm bad at close range combat but good at dodging) I also had to admit I was kinda impressed. "Try Layla Harp."

"Layla Harp, age 16 as of the 2nd of January. Level 138 Fire/Poison Arch mage. Only child. Currently single. Dislikes artichoke."

"Artichoke?" Naomi laughs. "You're kidding me, right?"

Miranda just smiles weakly. "I just learned about that last week from a reliable source, actually. Do you…want me to continue?"

"Yeah," I nod.

"Is a hand-to-hand combat fighter. No known weaknesses. Current affiliations: Scarlion, Team Griffin."

Naomi yawns. "Was expecting that."

"So…she really is in Scarlion already." I shake my head.

"Am I in then? In the team?" Miranda asks anxiously.

I exchange another look with Naomi. "Say yes," she mouths.

"I'll…think about it." I say finally. Naomi swears under her breath and Miranda's eyes twinkle.

"That'll be GREAT. Please consider me, okay? I nidda go feed my dog already, so I gots' to go. Bye, Naomi!" She waves cheerfully before Naomi slams the door in her face.

"What the freak was that? Just say 'yes'!" Naomi says loudly. More mewing comes from the bathroom.

"I'm not really sure about this…I mean, I barely know her. And maybe Layla will change her mind about Scarlion and come back. And when she does, we'll be right here waiting. For her." I say firmly. "I don't want to hurt her feelings.

Naomi huffs loudly and walks over to the bathroom. I hear the bathroom lock unclick and a medley of mewing and swearing.

"Hurt her feelings?" She says hysterically. "Hurt HER feelings. Are you freaking kidding me?" Naomi stuffs Mickey into a black cage in the corner of the room and slams the door shut.

"Wha-"

"DON'T interrupt me, bitch. I've had it up to HERE with all this Scarlion shit." She shouts, raising a hand over her head. "All you freaking care about is Layla Layla Layla. How bout _me_? I'm your _team_mate. I'm not the one that betrayed you for your ex-boyfriend. I'm the one who got _stabbed_ in the leg for you. My slutty whore of a mom shows up with my sisters from like the grossest possible town of Ellinia and you don't even care! The only person who bothers to ask me 'How was your day?', the ONLY person who bothers getting to know me is Train. Who I'm moving in with. Now."

I open my mouth but no words come out.

"Save it, Shirley. You don't care. About ME. I tell you I'm moving and you freaking cheered. Like it's a stupid parade. Don't even _try_ to deny it. EVERY DAY I wake up feeling like crap because every. Single. Person in this hellhole thinks I'm just going to attack them or something." She rages on.

"No, they-" I squeak.

"You know, it wasn't always like this. I had friends. I had a cool sister. I had a mom that could stay faithful to dad. But no, one day I wake up and everyone's changed. I put on this freaking 'tough girl' act so _they _won't know. Everything they yell, and shout, and treat me like shit I just suck it up but inside I'm crying, Shirley. I'm crying, because you're the only friend I have right now and I feel like you don't care." Her voice trails off into sobs.

"I'm…I'm so sorry, Naomi. I didn't know." I say softly.

"Of course you didn't." She sneers. "Just leave me alone." She whispers, mascara trailing down her cheeks.

"No. I want to stay. I want to get to know you. I want to help!"

She wipes her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket roughly and sniffles before whispering "Get out."

"Who's a good girl? Who'sagoodgirl? You are! No, you are! Ow…Why'd you hit me?"

"Stop doing that baby talk thing already." I laugh.

He just rolls his eyes. "You call that baby talk?"

"Don't, okay Grif? I'm not in the mood." I close my eyes and lean against his leather couch.

I'm in Griffin's backup apartment, one of many according to him, watching long ago films, the kinds which always have a layer of dust over the covers. It turns out he has a small 'bachelor' pad in Orbis. He opened a Mirror of Dimension for me, naturally.

"You've pretty rich for a guy doing nothing." I think out loud.

Griffin stirs uncomfortably in his seat. "Uh, yeah."

I narrow my eyes at him. "You're lying, aren't you? I thought we promised to be completely honest with each other?"

He clears his throat. "Yes, but this is a personal thing."

"I'm your girlfriend now. If you can't even tell me what your job is don't think our relationship is going to work." I lie. I know he'll start to crack soon.

"Woah, woah, woah. Okay, I'll tell you. But promise me you won't tell anyone that you know." He says in an urgent tone.

I smirk. "I promise." I say slowly.

"A few years ago, before I even met you, there were rumours spreading around about this supposed 'dark' group in Scarlion who plans to get rid of Ariel." He says quickly.

I nod. "You've told me this before."

"But I didn't tell you the whole thing. One of the guild masters assigned me to get to the bottom of things before it got too big. We didn't want the public to find out, either." He pauses to catch his breath.

"Okay," I says lowly.

"So anyway, it took a few months but I found them. This 'group' was actually just starting up, most of the rumours were all false. I reported back to guild masters and they determined this group probably won't pose a threat at the moment so I was free to go back home for a while before the next mission. That's when I met you."

"On that blue bird." I breathe.

"Yes," He smiles remembering. "At that time I had just broken up with Miranda for a few months."

"Oh, Miranda." I say sadly.

"Look, me and Miranda weren't meant to be. She lied about her age, told me she was sixteen, and after a while I realized she just wanted info on Scarlion. I kissed Naomi, only once, just as an excuse to break up with her. That day at Orbis, Naomi came and told me to back off and she told me we were over. I'm sorry I've never told you. I don't have feelings for Miranda anymore. I probably never did."

I smile weakly at him. "Thanks for telling me, anyway."

His fingers curl around mine and I squeeze his hand gently.

"Anyway, after I got to the station I got a call from one of my old team members Elizabeth. She said that that 'dark group' started their plans already. No one expected it. I was sent to Aqua Road to follow their movements where I found you passed out." He continues. "I was supposed to go to one of their hideouts but I guess I lost track of time with you that night."

"That's why I saw you buying potions the next morning." I nod.

He grins. "When I did get to their hideout, I found Annabelle with Ariel sitting in an empty room. I thought she had kidnapped her or something." He laughs nervously. "Long story weird, Ariel hired us to spy on her kids. She pays very, VERY well."

My jaw drops. "B-But, what about that dark group?"

"All baloney. Just an excuse so we could take care of the kids. Underground, anyway. Ariel pays us to watch over them and report back to her. Kate hasn't found out yet."

"Okay, question. How come Ariel hired Annabelle? How do they even know each other?" I ask.

"Annabelle and Luke are dating. Don't you know?" He says with an amused expression on his face. "And Ariel let me in with the money as long as I kept quiet about this."

"Wait…I'm still confused. What does Layla have to do with this? And does that mean you're allies with Ariel?" I ask.

"Annabelle has a big mouth so she told Layla. Layla has this motherly thing. Frost and Flare love her." Griffin laughs. "We're not allies. More of business partners."

"Does Layla get paid, then?" I ask firmly.

He knits his brows. "I'm not sure on that, actually. She could be doing it voluntarily."

"Oh," I shrug before snuggling into his shoulder.

"We're working on getting them into school now. They're pretty bright. I'm sure they'll catch up fast." He says softly into my ears.

"Thanks for telling me." I say, kissing him on the cheek quickly.

"No problem, whoopsy-boopsy-coopsy-poo!"

"Shut up!" I laugh.

We're in the training room, just Alice and me.

"Training time!" Alice says enthusiastically while doing some stretches.

"Keep it down. I don't want anyone hearing that I snuck you in." I tighten my ponytail.

"Sure, sure. But I'm sure the niece of Ariel gets like privileges or something, right?" She slips a pair of moss green goggles over her blue eyes.

"They don't, and what's that for?" I roll my eyes.

"They help me concentrate. And they're cool." She shrugs. "So, what are we doing first?"

"Well, we could do some warm ups and stuff." I suggest.

The training room, the room right next to the gym, is just simple concrete floors and light pink walls. I walk over to the small panel next to the door and type in the password, which you get after graduating from torture- I mean, Basic Exercise.

Alice watches in awe as the pink walls turn into thick trees and the floor into soft dirt and grass.

"Woah…" She breathes.

"Okay, this is the warm-up scenario. The monsters and everything are just simulations but the pain is real." I inform her. "Tell me if you can't handle it or something. There's an emergency stop button in case you lose too much health or run out of anything. And I could always jump in and help out. Understand?"

She nods. "Just stop talking and let's start already." She says impatiently.

"Whatever you say." I laugh, pressing 'Start'.

"Simulation activating in 3…2…1…" A loud voice which sounds like Arraine says over the speakers in the corners of the room.

"…go."

Info: First off I'd like to wish my cousin Janice a very happy birthday, even though it's still pretty early, but still.

GGAH, seems like my chapters are getting even shorter and shorter. I mean, seriously? Only 2.7 k words? This is an outrage! (Timmy Turner reference, anyone?)

More thanks to my friend Li Gi for telling me to "Stop drawing and get writing again!"* and Kai Wei (Ka Tay's Mind) for forever motivating me "Where's the new chapter? I thought you said it'll be out TODAY."* and giving ideas and listening to me blabber on and on about my boring life.

*May or may not be accurate.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: GGAH, sorry for not updating in a while. I was battling with a very life threatening syndrome called laziness and a slight case of writers block. (-rolls eyes- What's new?) Oh, and I was extremely busy with my (very) nonexistent boyfriend and bestie. HAHA. As an apology, I have made this chapter longer than my usual (extremely lazy) 2.9k long chapters. You're welcome, dear reader(s). See how much I love you guys?

* * *

><p>Chapter 16: Beginnings and Endings<p>

I lie awake in bed, unsure about what I should do. I turn under the thick covers and glance at the alarm clock sitting on the bedside table. I exhale loudly and turn again so I'm staring at the ceiling. It's only two in the morning.

Now that I think about it, I haven't done anything productive in the past month. First I get shot by a little kid, spend the following week 'healing up', even though I felt completely fine after the first day. After that the whole Arraine-Naomi-Mrs Grayson fiasco comes up and for some reason I'm in the middle of everything, eavesdropping with Missa outside of the conference rooms to hear their bi-daily arguments, having long and depressing conversations with Alice and Naomi still hates me. And mixing in the time I've been spending with Griffin, I think I haven't really done anything work related. I have the feeling I'm scraping the remains of my back accounts too.

God, when did life become so…complicated?

About a year ago it was just me, Layla and Naomi. We would just go on jobs, really simple ones, like killing monsters (Most killed easily by Naomi), maybe even capturing the occasional criminal (Most captured easily by Naomi, again. She claims that Layla might go overboard and kill them and I'm too much of a wimp to do it) But it was fun, and we always worked pretty okay together.

I toss and turn a little in bed before sitting up quickly. I can't sleep. I need to do something before I go crazy. I walk out of my room as silently as possible in my wrinkled tank top and pajama bottoms. I know the lights are still on, cause most of the Higher Class-men have their meetings at crazy times of the day. Or night. Whatever.

I pause in the middle of the marble staircase. What the hell am I doing? It's two in the morning and I'm walking around in my jammies.

Maybe I should go change? Where am I actually going, anyway?

"Did you hear the news? Apparently Ariel has a couple of kids." Someone says loudly from the lobby.

"Ohmigawd, really? Who told you?" Another girl asks in a thick British accent.

"Naomi told me. And did you know they're actually in Scarlion?" The first girl says.

_Naomi_ told her? What happened to swearing to secrecy?

"Double ohmigawd. Oh, and did you hear that Naomi got engaged yesterday? When I heard, I almost got a heart attack! Was totally shocking." The British girl says.

Holy crap. Naomi got engaged?

"I know, right. To that boy she brought to the bi-monthly dinner. He's totally lush." Another girl adds.

Okay, I need to get to the bottom of this. And why the hell would Naomi get engaged? She's only 21 this year, and she's the one that kept saying that she and Train weren't even that serious.

I tiptoe down the stairs in my fluffy slippers and use my Dark Sight to follow them. The girls were all very petite and had identical black hairstyles.

"Do you think I would get invited to her wedding? I've never been to one before!" The British girl coos.

"Hey, she told me I could be a bridesmaid if I wanted to." The first girl boasts.

What. The. Hell. I'm pretty sure Naomi doesn't even know these girls. And why would she want this aristocratic bitch to be her bridesmaid instead of someone she actually knows, like me?

"Ohmigawd! Maybe I could ask to be one too. What do you think, Emily?" The British one asks.

"I don't know. I'm pretty sure the dresses she'd pick would be horrible." Emily remarks.

That is so untrue! Naomi is one of the most fashion-forward people I know! These girls don't know who they're talking about. She's the one that wore red stilettoes in Magatia, black wedges in Aqua Road, expensive flip-flops in Kerning City's swamp, the list goes on. She never sacrifices style for function or even comfort. And I'm not just saying that so I get a better chance at being a bridesmaid.

"Ohmigawd, I hope she doesn't put me into one of those really poufy dresses! I might just die of shame!" The British girl cries.

Well, one thing is for sure, they don't care about Arraine's kids. They're more interested in Naomi's engagement. And that British girl doesn't seem very bright.

"Hey, did you hear that?" The first girl says, stopping suddenly midway to the conference room.

"Uh, no. What's up Lily?" Emily asks.

"I don't know. I have the feeling someone is following us or something." Lily says nervously, glancing around quickly.

Oh, God. Can she see me? I know junior and newer members aren't supposed to be up and about this late. Not like it's against the rules, but it's kind of frowned upon. I've already mastered my Dark Sight years ago, so when I'm using it all you see is a very faint shadow on the ground if you look close enough. And through a load of training I've learned how to walk silently, although if I try to do it for too long I'll eventually start tripping. You know, cause I'm super clumsy.

"Don't be stupid, Lily, there's nothing there. Right Natalie?" Emily rolls her eyes.

Okay, I think I like Emily more from the rest of them.

"Yeah, I agree. No one's around. We're going to be late for the meeting." The British girl, apparently Natalie says anxiously.

Wait, Natalie, Emily and Lily. And they are all the same height and have the same hairstyles – curly black hair tied into a high ponytail. They're also wearing almost identical dresses, just in different shades of hot pink. Weird.

"Oh, okay. Let's go." Lily nods.

They push open the conference room doors and I scurry behind them quickly before the door slams closed behind me. My bedroom slipper almost gets caught under the door but I yank it out before it turns visible again. Lone purple bedroom slipper suddenly appearing in front of about a dozen Higher Class-men? (Ahem, a dozen _armed_ Higher Class-men?) Doesn't sound like a great idea.

"Hey, you guys are finally here." Some girl, who looks at least ten years older than me says sternly. "Sit, we're starting the briefing as soon as Naomi gets here."

Everyone sits down and I cautiously next to Emily too. Might as well, since I'm utterly bored and my Dark Sight would probably last until someone else opens the door. I would just sneak out quietly. Simple.

The conference room was really dim, the fluorescent lights were turned off but the giant marble table was half covered with white candles. No one would even notice me, as long as I kept quiet. I've always been curious what goes on down here anyway.

"So, what have you guys been up to?" Lily asks in a bored voice.

Silence.

"Well, we killed 50 Balrogs this week. We beat our last record." One girl says, smiling appreciatively at her other team mates.

Wait…50?

"My team went on an S class mission. What did we miss the past six months?" Another girl with pretty blond hair asks.

S class mission? Six _months_?

"Nothing much, really. Ooh, Naomi got engaged." Natalie squeals.

One day I might just shoot that girl.

"Naomi?" Blondie wrinkles her brow in thought. Another member, with darker skin and a pretty head-full of braids whispers into her ear and she nods in realization. "Oh, right. Naomi." She says unconvincingly. "Who's the, uh, lucky guy?"

"This guy called Train. He's totally lush." Emily pipes up, blushing a little.

"Oh, from the bi-monthly dinner. When are they getting married?" Someone asks.

"I don't know. Soon, I hope. I'm going to be a bridesmaid!" Natalie says in her annoying high-pitched voice.

The door opens up slowly and Janie walks in.

"Hey, guys. Sorry I'm…uh…late." She apologizes quietly before taking a seat next to me. She gives me a weird look before smiling anyway.

Wait, can she see me?

She pulls out a piece of paper from her fluffy pink handbag and scribbles something on it quickly and tosses it on floor when no one's looking. I stare down at it, puzzled. It says "_Hey, Shirs. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone_." in cursive.

She grins at me and hides the paper underneath a tangerine orange ballet slipper. I just nod nervously.

Shit, she can see me. Is that her power? Being able to see through my near perfect Dark Sight?

Come on, Shirs. Just keep calm and act natural. No one would find out. I still have at least 10 minutes till my Dark Sight runs out. No biggie. Naomi or someone would open the door for me by then. Or maybe I could get Janie to do it for me. Seriously, no biggie.

Then why the hell am I silently hyperventilating now.

Janie shoots me another weird look and I smile queasily at her. I need to get out of here. As fast as possible. This was such a stupid idea. I should be in bed, dreaming about….I don't know. More Harps, for all I care.

The door opens and I stand up abruptly. It's time to go. Like, right now.

"Hello, everyone." Scarlett walks in in a slinky black t-shirt and short denim shorts.

Uh, when did she get in Higher Class? Hm, we've haven't talked in a while. Maybe she got in while I was on my 'break'.

"Scarlett!" Janie stands up and hugs her and kisses her on the cheek.

I swallow and watch the door slam shut behind her.

"Hey, Scar." Blondie grins, her silver braces glinting in the candlelight.

Scar narrows her eyes at her, as if she was trying to remember Blondie's name. "Gaby, right?" She says finally after a while.

"Yeah," Gaby frowns.

Scar shrugs and walks towards me. I stand up and move out of the way as Scarlett books my seat. Great.

"Uh…Scarlett. You wanna sit over here?" Janie whispers.

Scar gives her a 'look' but moves over anyway. I edge to the seat nervously. She's getting suspicious. Holy crap, Janie better not tell her.

"Welcome, finally. Hendrickson, I know you just joined last week but please do make it a point to come on time for meetings. This is the third time you've been tardy this week." The stern, older lady who seems to be running the meeting says, pushing her light blue rimless glasses up her nose.

Jane gasps softly and I notice Blondie biting her lip.

"Excuse me, bitch?" Scar snaps sharply, her emerald eyes blazing.

Glasses Lady flinches and for a moment a see a pang of fear in her boring black eyes. She opens her mouth but closes it eventually. Smart girl.

"Apparently Scarlett gets very, well, moody early in the morning. And that's just putting it lightly." Emily whispers in Natalie's ear.

I didn't know that, but I guess I don't know much about her anyway.

"Come on, Scarlett. Calm down, okay, babe?" I hear Jane whisper into her ear, squeezing her hand under the table gently.

Scarlett huffs and half-smiles at Jane and goes back to normal.

The door opens again and Naomi comes in in a strapless lacy black evening gown with a short train and her hair made up into a smooth updo, slamming the door shut before I even stand up. Crap.

"Oh, freak me." I hear her mutter under her breath. "Hello, everyone. Jayne."

"It's Janelle, Grayson." Glasses Lady narrows her eyes. "Hurry and sit down, we're starting now."

For some reason nobody questions while Naomi is dressed like she's going to receive an Oscar.

A mean snarl of a grin spreads across both Naomi's and Scarlett's face at the same time. I exchange confused glances with Janie, and she's biting her lip again. This might be bad.

"You there. Stand up." Janelle says, pushing her glasses further up her nose with one hand and pointing towards me and Janie with the other.

"Yes…uh…Ma'am?" Janie says quietly, standing up.

Janelle snorts. "Not you. The one with the red hair."

I feel my blood run cold for a second.

"Wait, what?" Gaby asks, glancing around. "No redheads here. Zero, nada. Can we just get this done with? My dermatologist is going to kill me for staying up so late."

"Quiet, newbie." Janelle silences Gaby without even looking at her. Gaby throws Janelle's back a dirty look before pouting. "You, girl with red hair and the blue eyes."

I gulp and stand up anyway. She can…see me?

"What's your name?" Janelle asks sternly.

My throat feels like a desert. Do I really need to answer her?

"Your name, reddy." She repeats.

Reddy? That's not even a good nickname.

"S-Shirley. Shirley Fox." I blurt.

I hear Naomi snicker from the other corner of the room.

"Release your Dark Shadow, Fox. We don't allow skills using magic during meetings." Janelle prompts.

I look at Janie for clues and she just nods. I release it and hear Gaby gasp.

"Uh, hi, everyone." I wave awkwardly at everyone.

"What the hell," I hear Scarlett mumble.

Janelle narrows her eyes at me and surveys me.

"Interesting choice in clothing." Lily whispers sarcastically.

Yes, because pajama bottoms with cotton-candy pink clouds on them are highly underrated.

"You're a new member, aren't you, reddy?" Janelle asks in a loud and booming voice.

I swallow. "I've been here for more than a year, sir, I mean, ma'am."

Gaby bursts into laughter. "You? A junior? Oh, please. My three year old brother is probably stronger than you. Your arms, wimpiest I've ever seen."

"Newbie," Janelle warns in an impatient tone and Gaby goes quiet again.

They don't seem to have a very nice relationship.

I clear my throat. "Actually, yes. I'm in Naomi's group."

About half of them gasp and the rest start whispering among their friends. Jane squeezes my hand under the table and Naomi just shrugs and displays a new pair of red stilettoes on the marble table, tipping over a couple of white candles which Natalie puts out with her black clutch hurriedly.

"Grayson's group. You. In Grayson's…group." Janelle says slowly, as if she doesn't believe me.

"Yes, I'm in Naomi's group. For almost 12 months already. Ask her if you don't believe me." I say exasperated while pointing in Naomi's direction.

Naomi just rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over some cleavage.

"Yes, that little muppet is in my group. She doesn't do much, anyway. Other than piss me off." Naomi snickers, smiling sweetly at me.

After all my 'experience' with her, I could easily think of a million witty things to retort, but I just bite my tongue.

Janelle throws her head back and laughs a bitter, heartless laugh. "Good Lord," she says to no one in particular. "Congratulations, Fox. You're in."

"…What?" Gaby shrieks.

"Freak me," Naomi mutters under her breath again.

"Ex…cuse me?" I say.

Janelle pats me on the shoulder and I can feel her long nails digging into my flesh. "Welcome to the Higher Class, Fox." She half-smiles at me.

For some reason I flush with joy.

"Wait…I didn't actually DO anything." I point out, shrugging her hand off me gently.

She rolls her dark eyes and shakes her head. "You managed to infiltrate the conference room at 2:14 in the morning in front of at least 13 Higher Class members without any of them noticing. Except Janie, obviously. But she's too much of a wet blanket to bail anyone out." She chuckles.

"Wet blanket?" I repeat.

Janelle smirks and hits Janie at the back of her head. "Yeah, this pipsqueak never lets us beat up people around her."

I swallow. "Okay…So what do you mean by 'in'?"

"It means, you're in the Higher Class permanently." Lily says in a bored voice.

"Higher Class." I repeat. "Me. You sure?"

"Yes, reddy. Now sit down before I change my mind." Janelle orders and I sit obediently.

Higher Class.

I'm finally in.

* * *

><p>"Shirley! Shirley, wake up!"<p>

I open my eyes and a little girl with slanting cheekbones, skin that's so white it's scary, bright blue eyes filled with fear and chin length curls the colour of cotton candy is staring down at me, shaking me roughly with her skinny arms.

"Flare?" I blurt, squinting and waiting for my eyes to adjust to the bright lights in the background.

"Shirley! Thank God you're okay, I thought you've gone!" She cries, hugging me tightly. For some reason her hair has the lingering scent of blood.

"Where am I, again?" I ask, prizing her off me gently. She was wearing a suit, complete with a blazer and pink tie and her Scarlion earpiece lay abandoned on the concrete floor.

Wait, concrete floor? Why am I here?

Flare bites her lip and points ahead. I get up on my elbows and squint.

We're on top of a high rise building at night, the air was thick with smoke and pollution but even with the blinding city lights I could see very well what was happening. Even though I wish to God I hadn't, I could see perfectly well what was unfolding literally a few feet from me.

"Arraine?" I shout.

Standing right along the edge of the building was Arraine, standing with her back towards me, her gorgeous blonde curls caught in the wind. She looks over her shoulder and smiles sadly at me.

"You're up early, Shirley." She says, her normally gentle and kind voice void of any emotion whatsoever.

"Arraine, Ariel, whatever, what are you doing?" I say hurriedly.

She shakes her head and turns around again. "There's no point in living anymore, is there? Everything…" She murmurs towards the city skyline.

I get up on my feet quickly. "Don't do it, Arraine. W-We can work it out. Whatever it is. Just step away from the ledge and talk to me. Do you want me to call someone? Naomi? Alice? Luke?"

She laughs an emotionless laugh. "Everything…is ruined. I might as well just jump off right now, don't you think, love? Luke wouldn't mind. Naomi wants me dead anyway, and Alice…she'll be fine with her mother." She mumbles softly.

"Mummy, don't do it!" Flare cries.

I just realized I've never heard Flare speak with any emotion other than hostility and the intent to kill.

"Y-Yeah, don't jump. What about the guild? And your k-kids?" I stammer.

She stares at her feet. "You guys would be fine without me. Not just fine, even better without me. I haven't done anything meaningful in my life. I've killed my family, my friends, abandoned my children…just to amount to nothing…" Her voice trails off into deafening silence.

I walk towards her, slowly, taking care not to startle her. "Come on, that's not true. You're the guild master of the second best guild in all of Maple World. You're a…a role model to all of us. Sure, you've made mistakes in the past. But that doesn't mean…"

"Doesn't mean what, Shirley?" She interrupts, making me jump. I've never heard her raise her voice like that before. "Doesn't mean what?" She repeats.

"Doesn't mean you can't fix things. You can't run away from all your problems. You…You still have a long way to go." I improvise.

Right now I'm about a step away from her. I just need to grab her from behind and ease her away from the ledge…

"What's the point, Shirley?" She says, hysterically.

I swallow. I'm literally shaking with fear, and when I turn around Flare is the same.

The little girl who shot me in the arm. The little girl who is in Griffin's team, who's supposedly stronger than me and possibly on par with Naomi. The little girl who's mom left her in a cardboard box on a snowing day in front of where Scarlion is now, with only her little brother to sympathize for and with her. The little girl who was spent her childhood training to be a killing machine so she would have a purpose to live. The same little girl who's mom is about to jump off one of the tallest buildings in Kerning City and literally blow her brains out.

For some reason I don't feel angry. I don't feel the need to scream at Arraine. For some reason I don't feel scared. For some reason I don't feel sad for her. For some reason I don't feel like letting her watch her own mom kill herself. For some reason I don't even question why I'm up here.

I reach out to pull her off the ledge of the building but she manages to break free of my grip on her arm and falls off the building, her silk dress flowing behind her gracefully. I reach out again, willing myself to save her but my fingertips simply brush the ends of her hair.

Her blonde, silky hair which I've always felt jealous of.

"_MUMMY!_" Flare shrieks.

Suddenly everything goes into slow motion then. I watch as Arraine plummets to the bottom, landing on the ground with a loud thud, a puddle of blood forming around her through blurry, tear filled eyes. I turn around and see Flare running up to me, shouting a word I haven't used in nearly five years. I feel the rush of fear, pain and sadness seep into my chest, because I know fair and well I could have saved her, if only I was quick enough, if only I was smart enough, if only I was brave enough…

_If, if, if._

I've been asking things like that to myself for a while now, haven't I?

Flare is clinging on to me now, still shrieking, and I feel hot, salty tears roll down my cheeks.

Another mother, _dead_.

Another mother-less child, _traumatized_ and sobbing silently.

Because of _me_.

I'm…I'm…

I'm a murderer.

"Shirley!"

I open my eyes again and I'm in my room, staring at the ceiling, my cheeks wet with tears.

It was just a dream.

Thank God, it was just a dream.

I hear a knock on the door, bringing me back into reality.

"C-Come in!" I stammer.

The door opens and Layla appears, looking like she just got run over by a truck, panting like she's just ran a marathon.

"Layla? Why are you here?" I ask, feeling alarmed.

"Arraine. She's dead." She whispers.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Oh, God. Sorry I've been away for a while. Team Shirley/Naomi/Miranda are going on an actual mission next so please be patient with me.**

**Chapter 17: Paranoia**

* * *

><p><em>(Flashback)<em>

She wiped the bead of sweat trickling down her small, girly chin and adjusted her stupid goggles.

"Next!" She shouted, her voice coming in between loud raspy pants.

I bit my lip. "You sure? You're already on Wave 42. I'm not sure if you'd-"

"Next," she repeated, chagrined.

I rolled my eyes and pressed the button anyway.

We'd been training for nearly five hours straight and she's leveled up in record speed. As expected of the Demon's little sister.

"Go," I murmured as Wave 43 started up. I knew for a fact that there was no way she could get through this without taking a load of damage. Not at her age, not at her level.

A droid appeared, a tall and skinny figure without any noticeable features. It was a few heads taller than Alice and wielded a plain but big sword in a hand, a blood red shield in the other.

She activated her Gatling Gun but the bullets merely bounced off the droid, over and over again.

"W-Wha?" Alice exclaimed, stumbling backwards as the figure hovered towards her quickly.

The droid raised its sword and slashed in a fluid motion. Alice gasped in pain and tumbled to the hard cement floor.

"Alice!" I shrieked, slamming my fist against the bright red emergency stop button before it could raise its sword again.

"Simulation Deactivated."

The droid vanished and I ran over to Alice's shaking figure.

"Alice? Alice? Are you okay?" I asked urgently, shaking her.

She rolled over, her blue eyes glazed over and rimmed with tears.

"Oh my God, are you okay? Drink this." I said, pulling out an Elixir, pulling the cork out with my teeth and putting the rim of it to her lips.

"S-Shir…"

She downed it slowly, coughing slightly as I pulled the empty glass away. I lift her head so it was on my lap and squeeze her hand.

"You okay?" I asked, my heart in my throat.

The only thing I could think of was: _Naomi. Naomi's going to kill me. Naomi is going to slit my throat in my sleep and…and…_

"Yeah, I-I'm fine." She wheezed, struggling to sit upwards.

I sighed in relief. "You scared me there, Alice. You really scared me there."

She laughed. "I'm fine now, you know?" A moment later her mouth twisted into a frown. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." I insist.

She coughed again, her body arching and shuddering as it did so. "Shirley…Could you promise me something?"

"Yeah?"

"Look after my family for me."

"Excuse me?"

"Just…please."

Her eyes suddenly closed and I just about had a heart attack.

"Oh my god, Alice! Alice! Don't die on me, okay!" I shouted, shaking her again.

Her eyes snapped open again and she had a bemused expression on her face. "I'm trying to sleep, okay?" She said sheepishly.

"Oh, fine."

* * *

><p>I race down with Layla down the stairs, still in my cotton candy jammies.<p>

"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!" I mumble, nearly tripping down the main marble staircase. Why didn't I put on some shoes, at least?

Layla gets to the bottom first, the lingering smell of blood wandering from her auburn hair.

I take a deep breath in, trying to calm myself. Arraine is…dead? Was what happened really just a dream? Maybe I'm still dreaming in bed…?

But it all seemed too real.

The way Layla dragged me out of my room, the way the cold Leafre air blew against my slightly exposed naval, the way my side still hurt from the way Flare gripped onto me like a hawk on a dying rabbit. It didn't make any sense.

"Shirley!"

Flare runs up to me, her green eyes bloodshot and her pink tie askew.

"Flare," I say softly into her pink hair as she throws her skinny arms around me.

Blood.

"Shirley, I thought you've gone." She whispers.

The same exact line.

Layla gives me a sad look. "Come on, Flare. We need to find your brother." She says firmly, pulling her away from me.

I notice a pang of fear flash in Flare's eyes.

"Frost," She whispers as Layla steers her away.

I notice Naomi in the corner of the lobby, pushing the vending machine's buttons frantically.

"Naomi?" I nudge her shoulder.

She turns around and snickers, a chocolate bar in her hand.

"Oh, hey Shirs." She says sarcastically.

I feel the ache in my chest spreading.

"Are you…eating chocolate?!" I ask, watching her peel away the wrapper.

"So?" She says before finishing it in a few greedy bites.

"I thought…I thought you said 'Chocolate is vile'?!"

She shrugs, scrunching the wrapper up and throwing it at my face.

Due to my sleepiness and paranoia I fail to dodge.

"Shut up, bitch. My freaking aunt just jumped off a damn 30 story building." She snaps, buying another chocolate bar. "You're lucky I'm not murdering everyone in this goddamn guild. Yet."

I swallow.

"I…Yeah," I mumble.

She gives me a hopeless look and wanders off.

I look around and guild members are gathering in the lobby, whispering among themselves.

I feel like hiding, away from it all. Scenes from the dream flash in my head. Flare waking me up. Arraine jumping. Me grazing the ends of her hair.

Her freaking, gorgeous blond hair.

Was it true? Could I have saved her?

Why me?

A million question swirl around in my head until I feel numb all over.

Did I kill Arraine?

"Shirley! Ohmigawd, have you heard the news? Everyone is freaking out!" Natalie screams into my ear suddenly.

I open my mouth no words come out.

"Obviously she's heard. Everyone has heard." Emily grumbles.

"Sheesh, I wonder why she jumped. I mean, is it because the guild is going bankrupt?" Lily pitches in.

I bite my lip so hard I till taste blood.

Why did she do it?

"_I've killed my friends, my family, just to amount to nothing."_

I shake my head quickly. I don't need to remember this. I don't want to remember this. It was just all sick, sick nightmare…

"Shirley?"

I look up again and Layla is giving me a concerned look. I hug her tightly and inhale the smell of her stupidly sweet perfume and long-ago happiness.

"Layla…" I sniffle in her hair.

Blood.

I smell blood.

"It's okay, Shirs. I've missed you so much." She says softly, squeezing me like a piece of fruit.

I pull away from her and wipe my eyes with the back of my hand.

I can't cry. Not now, not ever.

"It's okay, Shirley. Everyone's emotions are a little high right now." She jokes.

I give her a weak smile. She seems older, more matured since we've last met.

I notice the glint of her Scarlion earpiece beneath the frenzy of red and sniffle again.

"Why are you here?" I ask loudly. "Members from Scarlion aren't allowed in the guild without a pass."

She doesn't reply.

"Why. Are. You. Here." I repeat, my voice shaking a little.

"Flare," She mouths simply before wandering off again.

Now I really feel like bursting into tears. I finger my earrings, which were given to me a year ago by Ariel herself.

Ariel.

For some reason that name sounds funny in my head.

More scenes that I've hid in the darkest corner of my conscious flash in my head. Scenes that make me jump, flinch.

Mom dying.

Nan chucking me out after I tried to kill her.

Flare shooting me.

Arraine dying.

Blood, everywhere.

"Hey!"

I turn around again, hands shaking, and Cheryl is there.

For some reason I burst into tears right there and then.

She pulls me into a loose hug and smooths down my hair.

"It's okay, babe. It's okay." She whispers. "It's not your fault shit's happened, kay? All you have to do is pack up and move on."

I just close my eyes and let the tears flow. How come Cheryl pops up at the most unexpected times?

"I know it's my fault. Even if it isn't. It's my fault." I whisper.

Cheryl goes silent for a bit, rocking my like a cradle. After a while she starts humming, a sad and sorrowful tune that makes my heart wretch, makes my body go numb all over again.

"Mom used to sing that to me every night." I sniffle loudly.

"I know…Too bad I can't remember the lyrics." She says ruefully.

"I remember a little." I whisper.

I start singing softly, my voice wobbling most of the time.

Cheryl prizes me off of her and rubs her eyes.

"Are you…crying?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "Something in my eye."

I laugh sadly. "Sure there is."

* * *

><p>We watch in silence as Janelle relights the white candles. It's been a few hours since the whole nightmare begun and all the Higher Class-men (women?) have been ordered for an emergency meeting.<p>

Naomi strolls in, late again, holding another chocolate bar. The ache in my chest returns. She's not supposed to be eating…that. She takes a bite out of it anyway before sitting down and propping her feet onto the table.

Janelle clears her throat. "As everyone knows, Ariel…" Her voice trails off.

I wince suddenly and shake my head. No flashbacks…Please.

"Who's the new guild master?" Gaby asks.

Everyone stays silent for a bit. I guess no one has really warmed up to the idea that our guild master killed herself. They've already checked out the scene and the body - there wasn't any foul play. Not to mention the funeral is being planned…

"Suggestions?" Janelle says warily.

"Naomi," I blurt. "Naomi should be the new guild master."

Naomi snickers while the rest look uncertain.

"Naomi Grayson. No, freaking, way." Gaby protests.

"Why not? She _is_ Ariel's niece." Miss Hair Braids remarks.

"But…but…"

"Shut it, newbie." Janelle interrupts.

"How about…uh…Hannah?" Janie suggests quietly.

Scar scoffs. "You mean our elderly dorm advisor? Please."

"She's only in her…uh…Fifties!" Janie exclaims.

"How about Luke? Ariel's brother." Scar suggests.

"We're a female only guild! We can't have Luke lead us! Hello, bad image much." Gaby rolls her eyes.

"Janelle? She's the Head of the Higher Class. She has authority…" Someone suggests.

"Yeah! Janelle should do it!" Someone else says.

The ache in my chest spreads. Not Janelle.

"Sorry guys. I'm flattered and all but I'm pretty happy just being the Head of you losers." Janelle shrugs.

"Okay, then who do you suggest we pick? AGAIN, my dermatologist is pissed off at me." Gaby says impatiently.

Almost everyone shoots her a dirty look.

"I agree with Reddy." Janelle says finally.

Relief floods through me.

"Uh, whatever then." Scar shrugs.

Naomi looks up suddenly and somehow throws her chocolate wrapper at my face again. I don't dodge.

"Wait, what?" She says dumbly.

"No, no, no, no, no, no! No way am I taking orders from her!" Gaby objects.

"Shut it, newbie. Grayson in our new guild master. All in favour, nod like your hair is on fire." Janelle announces and everyone (except Gaby who's too busy pouting) nods in agreement.

I look over at Naomi and she's tugging on her skull print ankle socks, trying not to care.

"Whoop-dee-doo," She mumbles.

* * *

><p>We crowd around the casket, watching it, along with the pretty bunches of flowers, sink into the ground. People around me were crying, sniffling, shell shocked.<p>

Even though the funeral was planned on short notice almost every guild member was present, taking a last glimpse of their beloved guild master.

I turn around to see Cheryl, wearing a very posh and lacy black dress, her long hair let loose and flying in the breeze. She came specially, just for the funeral. I brush a tear away, hoping no one would notice me tearing up.

"I wonder if she would have liked this."

I turn to my left and notice Flare leaning against my leg. "Who would have liked this?"

"My mum." She whispered, blue eyes empty.

"…I'm sure she would have."

The casket sinks down completely and people start shoveling dirt onto it.

"They picked a nice tombstone." Cheryl remarked sullenly behind me.

I nod and wipe another tear away.

_Arraine "Ariel" Grayson, beloved mother, aunt, sister and guild master. _

I look up again and the crowd is starting to disperse, leaving behind me, Cheryl, Flare and Naomi.

"So, now what?" I ask to no one in particular.

Naomi, who possibly cried the hardest, wiped her eyes on her sleeve and forced a wry smile even though eyeliner was running down her face. "Let's go back home."

* * *

><p>"Woah,"<p>

"I know. Sorry it's a little messy. I wasn't exactly expecting company." He apologizes.

"It's…okay. Your place is really cool." I assure her.

Griffin's apartment in Ludibruim was similar to the one he had in Orbis. All chrome, expensive black leather and white sheep skin rugs. It makes my room back in Leafre look like a pigsty.

"You want a drink?" He asks politely, walking me to this cream sofa which looked like it might swallow you whole if you sit on it.

"Uhm, do you have any tea?" I ask, sinking into the sofa.

God, this thing must cost a fortune.

He frowns for a split second. "Is from a bottle okay with you?"

I shrug and he does a little bow before heading into the kitchen. I giggle, leaning back against a fluffy couch cushion. It's been a long time since we've seen each other, and I had to admit I missed him like crap.

He and Cheryl were the only ones supporting me though all of the ruckus of last week, Ariel's death. Even through the phone we talked till the wee hours of the day, Griffin comforting me and being just an awesome boyfriend. Boy-friend. That word sounds nice in my head.

"Here you go, milady." Griffin says in a sing-song voice, handing me a mug of (bottled) tea.

"Why, thank you, fine sir." I laugh, taking a sip. He was such a gentleman. Even though his lame ass jokes kind of spoil that image. But I think I kinda love his lame ass jokes. Maybe it's because I kinda love him?

Not like I've told him. Naomi says to hold off the 'I love you's for as long as possible. And she would know, being engaged to a hot as hell bounty hunter named Train Walker. Which reminds me, I haven't asked her about the bridesmaid thing yet. Although I don't think now would be a good time.

Griffin pops a DVD into the player and plunks down next to me.

"What are we watching?" I ask.

"Some…dusty old movie/" Griffin shrugs.

"Liar," I murmur, leaning gently against his broad shoulder.

He always specially picked up a movie for us to watch. Last week was some action movie (which I had to admit was awesome), the time before that a cheesy romantic comedy.

The movie starts and Griffin throws an arm over my shoulders. We're so close I can smell the mint on his breath, the smell of Ludibruim in his hair – cake, teddy bear stuffing, lazy and long summer days…Happy.

* * *

><p>"So, it's either we do the assassination or the missing person thing. Personally I prefer we do the former rather than the latter." Miranda says, indicating the job request papers.<p>

I swallow.

"Why a-assasination? That missing person case sounds much easier." I say lamely.

Naomi rolls her blue eyes. "Don't be stupid. You're in the Higher Class now. You need to learn to kill."

"I've killed plenty!" I protest.

"Mobs." Miranda corrects me. "Monsters are nothing. You've been in this guild for more than a year. How many human lives have you taken?"

I stay silent. We were in a tiny motel room that we rented, sipping tea and apparently working as the newly formed Team Naomi. Or Shirley. I'm not sure. I kinda miss Layla, though.

"Thought so." She says, smirking. "Our target is the head of this drug cartel. Lionel Ferguson, his name. Six feet tall, shock white hair. Piercing, ice cold blue eyes." She explains, spreading out a couple blurry gray scale pictures, taken from a distance, on the table.

Naomi raises an eyebrow. "And?"

"A few days from now, he's coming right here in Ludibruim for a meeting." Miranda continues, pointing out the window.

It was a sunny Saturday morning, with kids running around down below. I sniffle.

"This guy has hundreds of men, so believe me when I say he's dangerous. He's committed horrendous crimes alongside his daily dose of curruption– mass murder, kidnapping, bribery…And in a few short weeks he might become an incumbent. The drugs aren't the only thing he's good at."

Naomi whistles in a low voice.

"So…We have to…_exterminate_ him?" I ask.

Miranda nods. "This is going to be an A class mission. Ferguson himself isn't a mage but his underling are well-trained. I have been told by a few reliable sources that he's coming here with a few bodyguards by private jet on Monday night. I suggest we ambush them once they land."

"Where is his drug cartel situated?" Naomi asks suddenly.

Miranda rifles through papers in a suspicious looking brown manila files. "…Kerning City." She says bleakly.

"Why don't we just go there and wipe them out?" Naomi asks.

"Are you joking?" I blurt.

"Naomi, we can't – we can't just stroll in there and-"

"Why not?" Naomi snaps.

Miranda exhales impatiently. "We're dealing with hundreds of armed men. This isn't the time to be kidding around. One of us could die, Naomi."

Naomi smirks and glances at me for a split second. I swallow again.

"I know. But I think we might as well kill them off while we can. You and muppet can handle Lionel while I'll finish the rest before they create more…_complications_."

"Naomi, you're a guild master now. You can't just risk your life like that. No way am I letting you step foot in Kerning City. You have to be rational! You have responsibilities. Stop being so reckless and start thinking like a grown up!" Miranda yells.

Naomi stares up at the ceiling as if she was trying to hold back tears.

I exchange worried looks with Miranda. "…Naomi?" I ask uncertainly.

Instead of crying she bursts into melodramatic laughter. Miranda and I watch in silence as she falls out of her chair and onto the moss green, carpeted floor in a fit of giggles, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"God," Naomi wheezes, struggling back onto her chair. "You're so freaking funny, big sis." She says sarcastically.

Miranda throws her her 'are-you-freaking-kidding-me-?!' look.

I clear my throat. "Look…I think Miranda's plan is better. The chances of us completing the mission safely are higher if we follow it."

Naomi stares at me, her deep blue eyes shooting daggers.

"…Fine," She mumbles, crossing her arms across her chest. "Do as you please."

Miranda grins, seemingly satisfied, and starts stuffing her papers back into files and neatly sorting them back into her leather briefcase. She starts briefing us about the strategies we might be using but I barely listen.

Naomi's planning something. I know she is.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Some much awaited/needed violence ahead. Do note for blood and gore. Not that you actually see it, but still. You have been warned. :p**

**Chapter 18: First Kill**

* * *

><p>"How are you feeling?"<p>

Nauseous, cold, nervous.

"I'm…fine." I mumble.

"Don't worry. It's all going to be fine. I go on these missions all the time."

I glance up at Miranda, her long tresses tied up into a slick ponytail, and wonder if she's as nervous as I am. I doubt it.

"…How do you know?" I ask.

A blast of wind comes our way, sending chills up my spine, making my stupid red hair whip across my face. Miranda takes a long while before answering "…I just do."

"Naomi…She's going to be okay, right?" I ask quietly.

Miranda takes a moment to think.

"She's a big girl now." She whispers, more to herself. "She can take care of herself."

My stomach makes this weird rumbling sound and I wonder if I'm going to heave.

Miranda grips my hand and squeezes it hard. Her skin was rough, the tips of her fingers ice cold. Was she worrying about Naomi who had snuck out and went to Kerning City, leaving a short note telling us to chill? Or was she just worried about us possibly being dead by the end of the night?

I swallow.

"Miranda…" I start.

"Yeah?"

"What happened?"

She lets go of my hand. "What do you mean?" She asks, her voice stiffening.

"What happened to Naomi?" I whisper.

Miranda doesn't answer and for a few minutes we just crouch behind a bush, waiting for the target to show. The silence was deafening.

"She…" Miranda starts warily.

Another gush of wind blows and I hug myself, wishing I had put on more than a black hoodie and faded leggings. My thighs start hurting from all the crouching and my fingers were going stiff from the cold. Not exactly excellent pre-fighting conditions.

"Do you believe that," She whispers, avoiding eye contact. "The more you get to know someone, the more of the darkness you'll find?"

I nod slowly.

"The only reason why she acts like she's tough is because she doesn't want people to hurt her." She sighs. "…You don't get it, do you?"

"I do! I kinda figured it out a while ago…I just don't understand why she's so…She's just very closed off."

Miranda looks at me with solemn eyes. "Naomi…She's tricky. When she was a kid, she would stay awake all night, staring at the ceiling, wondering when it would stop."

"What would stop?" I blurt.

"She's never cried, you know. Well, at least not after her baby years. She never did. At least not in front of people." She continues, ignoring my question. "The night she left Ellinia for Kerning City, I remember it like it was just yesterday."

"You mind telling me about it?" I ask cautiously.

She takes a deep breath in, as if it hurts to talk about it.

"She was nine, naïve and juvenile. That night she packed up her red rucksack and waited till everyone was asleep. Me and mum spent a month looking for her…Next thing I knew, we got a message from Aunt Arraine that she was living with her in Ariel. I joined her to keep an eye on her, even though I wasn't a mage then, a few years after. She's not very keen of me, though." She shrugs.

I giggle politely. "I've noticed."

A loud droning sound fills my ears and I glance upwards instinctively.

"He's here." Miranda murmurs.

I peer out of the bush and Ferguson's jet plane lands, stirring up the air, making leaves flutter. I hold my breath.

"Dark Sight, on." She instructs and I do as she says.

I pull the hood of my hoodie over my head and brush a few leaves off my sneakers.

"Do not take action before I tell you to, okay?" She whispers urgently as people start to exit the plane.

I peer out of the bus again. There were several men in tuxedoes and sunglasses followed by Lionel Ferguson himself, a glass of scotch in his left hand and a pretty girl with a large amount of cleavage at his other.

"T-The girl, too?" I ask.

Miranda nods and that ache returns, making my chest hurt and my fingers even more numb.

"Why?"

"We don't need any witnesses. Now be quiet before they notice us." She hisses, pushing my head so I'm behind the bush again.

We're over 100 feet away, I almost say. They can't hear us from there. One of the men glances our way and my throat constricts.

"They have a sensor." I whisper.

She gives me a look that says 'well-you-don't-say?' before putting a finger to her lips and hushing me. I slip on my battered Maple Skanda (I never did get around to getting a new claw) and grip a steely loosely in my palm.

The sensor walks towards us, his leather shoes crunching on leaves. He's only a few feet away from us till I throw three steelies through the bush, hopefully hitting his chest. I hear him staggering for a moment, coughing blood before falling over with a loud thud. I glance through the hole I made in the plant and a pool of crimson was forming around him.

"One down, six more to go." Miranda grins and pats me on the back. "Your first kill! Nice aim, by the way."

How come I feel so…sad? A picture of the man with his family flashes in my mind. Is this…Is this guilt?

Even from far away I can hear loud laughter. I peer out of the bush slowly and Lionel and his men seem a little…drunk.

Miranda fingers the blade of her huge sword to test its sharpness. A bead of blood appears and she licks it off her finger like a psychopath. She clenches a fist around the hilt before leaping over the plants, sprinting towards them, her hair flying out behind her as she ran. The tuxedo clad bodyguards notice her even in their drunken state and whips their guns out, dodging her blade swiftly.

I glance down at my claw, my heart in my throat. I stepped out of the bush quietly, my Dark Sight working its magic. It's all going to plan, surely?

I walk up to them as silently and as carefully as possible. Miranda was fighting three guards at a time, swating bullets away effortlessly as if they were flies. One of the guards scratch her arm but she just licks the blood away and continues. Her sword work was unreadable and almost…graceful.

I was so close to Lionel now that I could smell the alcohol on his breath, the gunpowder from the pistol his bodyguard was using to shoot Miranda, albeit his efforts were useless.

I bite my lip, roll a steely in my hand before wrapping the other around Lionel's neck, holding on tightly. He struggles, kicking on my shins. He bites on my hand hard enough that I hear a crunching sound.

"Ow!" I yelp, falling over and toppling him with me. He throws to push me off of him but I plant a foot and his back and hold his heavy arms up. "Move again and I swear I'll break your arms!"

"Marco!" He grunts, struggling even more.

I step on his neck and he stops.

"Listen here," I hiss. "Tell your men to stop attacking, throw their weapons on the ground and put their hands on their head."

God, that sounded lame. Didn't it?

Lionel swears under his breath. "Who are you?" He asks, his voice rough and raspy in comparison to mine.

I press harder against his neck. "Do it," I repeat, a little louder.

He hesitates for a moment. "Marco, Michael, Liam, Chester! Drop your damn weapons." He yells.

His men turn around slowly and place their guns on the ground and slowly back away.

"Mr. Ferguson!" One of them cries.

Miranda smirks, licking a bit of blood off the side of her face with difficulty.

"What do you want?" The Cleavage Girl asks.

Oh, almost forgot she was there. This has to be the worst take down_ ever_ on my part.

I ignore her. I'm supposed to be the bad ass taking the boss as hostage, right?

"If any of you even move an inch, Lionel here gets his neck broken. Understand me?" I shout. "You too, Baldie!"

The pilot, scarily bald descends from the jet, looking terrified. "W-What's going on?" He stammers.

Miranda wastes no time to run up to him and thrust her sword into his chest. Once, and then twice. I close my eyes quickly so I don't see the blood spilling out of him.

Another picture flashes, this time of Baldie and a little girl. I shake my head.

"Hm…I wonder who's next?" She asks in a singsong voice, drawing circles around the rest of the bodyguards' heads, teasing them with her bloody blade. I notice Lionel start to tremble. I tighten my grip around his arms.

"Don't…Don't kill me. Please." One of them whimpers.

"Okay, then." Miranda says icily before kicking him in the ribs. He topples over just before she pierces him through his heart.

Another flash.

A mean snarl of a smile spreads across her face.

Miranda goes after another one but he manages to block the sword with his fist.

"Ooh, kitty likes to scratch!" She says huskily, chopping his hand off in a fluid motion.

I wince. This was just too…merciless. The Graysons are crazy.

He groans in pain, fumbling around his pocket for a potion but Miranda kicks it out of his hand and finishes him off.

Flash.

Miranda kills the last guard easily by piercing his throat a few times and walks towards Lionel's girlfriend. She pulls one of her leather gloves off with her teeth and slaps Cleavage Girl, causing her to fall back to the cold ground.

She looks up at us, her eyes brimmed with fear. And eyeliner. But mostly fear.

"M-Miranda…We shouldn't." I plead, pressing harder against Lionel's back by accident.

_She's losing her composure. _She looked so nice, so innocent, so sophisticated. Now she just looks like a blood-lusting murderer.

"Then _you_ kill her!" She sneers, licking blood off her thumb. At times I think she deliberately gets hurt just so she can lap up her own blood.

I hesitate for a moment before letting go of Lionel's arms and stepping gingerly on his neck so he doesn't think of moving again. I throw steelies in sets of three at Cleavage Girl, so fast it's a blur.

The sound of metal clanging against metal fills my ears and the girl is holding a gleaming steal bow in her hand, emerging from the cloud of smoke, which she used to deflect the shooting stars.

"What. The. Hell." Miranda says evenly.

"Look, I'm on your side!" She shouts.

I exchange confused glances with Miranda.

Cleavage Girl pulls her wavy blonde hair out of the way and shows us her bluish earpiece.

"Scarlion?!" We gasp in unison.

She nods, a silver arrow suddenly appearing in her hand. She picks her bow up, nods at me to step away and shoots Lionel in the back. He coughs blood, screaming bloody murder at us. He attempts to grab Cleavage Girl by the leg but she kicks him off roughly.

Miranda comes over to us, smirking, and slices his head off.

"Be quiet, won't you?" She says sweetly.

"Oh, God," Cleavage Girl and I murmur at the same time.

His decapitated head rolls towards me and I kick it so it was lying face-first. His eyes were scaring me.

"We have to leave. Now." Cleavage Girl says, grabbing our wrists roughly. "His watch has this mechanism which will explode once it recognizes he's dead. RUN!"

I deactivate my Dark Sight and we break out in a sprint, the loud hum of the jet engine behind us. A few moments later a huge explosion goes off, smoke engulfing us.

* * *

><p>"Shirley! Hey, dumbass!"<p>

I open my eyes just as Naomi's palm makes contact with my cheek. I sit up, propping myself up with my elbows.

"Ouch!" I yell at her, rubbing my sore cheeks. She didn't have to _slap_ me.

"Open up, muppet." Naomi coos, waving a pill in front of my face.

I open my mouth to object but she pops the orange pill into it and clamps my lips shut with her palm to make sure I swallow. I wince as it slithers down my throat, leaving a bitter aftertaste in my mouth.

Naomi pulls away, smiling smugly. "Good to see you're awake! Try not to put weight on your left foot, by the way."

I rub my eyes sleepily, realizing that we were back in our motel room. My eyes widen when I notice Naomi, half her face covered in dinosaur plasters and her thick, brown hair looking slightly hacked off at one side. I throw my arms around her and pull her into a hug.

"Oh my God, Naomi. You're okay!" I breathe into her hair. Relief floods through me like a small tidal wave.

She shrugs me off. "Well, duh. I'm the guildmaster of Ariel. That was nothing."

I try not to notice the bandages under her loose fitting button down shirt.

There's a knock on the door and someone strolls in, her hair cut so short it was practically shaven.

"Miranda?"

"Morning, Shirs." She greets me, placing a tray full of food onto my lap. "I didn't know what you liked so I just got you cheese on toast and tea. I know you're a big tea person."

I stare at her. "What happened to your hair?"

"The dangers of being a mage," She laughs, sitting on the edge of my bed. "The explosion singed my scalp a little. Most of it had to go for the stitches." She sighed, running a hand through what was left of it.

I try to move over to hug her but a pain shoots up my left ankle.

"I told you to not more it, dumbass!" Naomi scolds.

"What's wrong with my foot?" I ask nervously.

"It got…burned in the explosion. Just a little. It's nothing, really." Miranda sooths.

I lift the thick blanket enough to glance at my foot. It was covered in some cling wrap like plastic and a flesh coloured bandage. It didn't hurt much. Except when it moved.

"None of us have healing magic, but don't worry. I'm sure we could find someone to help with the scarring once we get back." Miranda adds.

I frown, remembering the stupid scar down the calf of my left leg.

I munch on the toast without even tasting it and gulp the tea down before laying back into the way too fluffy pillow.

"Where's that chick?" I ask with my eyes closed. "From Scarlion?"

Right on cue someone else waltzes in. "I'm here," says an unfamiliar voice.

My eyes flicker open. "Oh, you."

"My name is Giselle. Nice to be of acquaintance." She says as she extends a dainty hand for me to shake.

I shake it reluctantly. "Shirley."

We stare at each other in silence for a few moments. I notice that compared to us she looked like she just spent the night shopping, not escaping from explosions and killing mass murderers.

"You shouldn't lay down after a meal. It's bad for your digestion." She mumbles, lifting the tray off my bed and putting onto the bedside table.

I just groan inwardly. "Thanks, but I don't think I need a lecture at the moment. Especially not from you." I snap, sounding meaner than I intended to.

Giselle gives me a weird look. "What's _her_ problem?" She asks.

Naomi shrugs. "She hates you. Or at least, Scarlion and what you stand for. You know, all that eternal rivals and shit. Want some tea?"

"Just…She just needs some rest." Miranda adds.

Giselle nods uncertainly and accepts Naomi's offer for tea.

"What happened to Lionel?" I ask quietly.

"He's dead." Naomi says cheerfully. "We cashed in the reward yesterday while you were asleep. Four mil each."

"Only four?" I say jokingly.

"Giselle got some of it too. She kinda finished the job." Miranda finished.

I snicker, closing my eyes again.

"I heard that your weapon of choice is a Maple Skanda." Giselle says suddenly. "I'm sure with your money you could easily purchase a more suitable claw for your level. And even though steelies have-"

"Shut. Up." I say evenly, eyes flickering open again to glare at her. "Shut, up. Shut, shut, shut, shut, shut, shut, up."

She looks offended. "Excuse me?"

"I said, be quiet. Stop talking. Shut your orifice. Whatever you posh people say on a regular basis." I snap.

Giselle looks over at Naomi and Miranda, as if they were responsible for whatever I do or say.

"Conundrum?" Naomi asks in a snarky voice, raising an eyebrow. Miranda laughs so hard soda comes out her nose, which was so unlike her.

She turns back to me and makes a 'tsk' sound before walking over to the exit.

"I'm leaving, everyone. Goodbye." She says in her fancy voice before closing the door gently behind her.

I look at Naomi and Miranda and laugh.

* * *

><p>"Walk faster, muppet." Naomi says, shoving me.<p>

I turn around to glare at her before hurrying my pace. It was hard to walk quickly when I was practically limping.

"Want me to carry that for you?" Miranda asks next to me. It takes me a second to realize she was talking about my gigantic luggage.

"Nah, it's okay. You guys have enough stuff to carry." I point out. Miranda was carrying a few heavy looking bags across her shoulder and Naomi had her own vermillion suit case which was twice bigger than mine. I didn't want to seem like a whiny baby.

"So, it's about noon now. We still have an hour before the train back to Orbis, then we'd have to take the four o' clock bird to Leafre. Cool with everyone?" Miranda explains. She had spent exactly two minutes memorizing all the travel pamphlets in the motel room.

"Four o' clock? Why not just go for the one thirty bird." Naomi asks.

She claimed that she was only looking through those pamphlets cause she was bored! _Am I the only one without any travel time knowledge now?!_

"We won't have time to catch it." Miranda says in an impatient voice. "We're going for the four o' clock one, and that's it."

I roll my eyes, watching them bicker. Even though they were practically grown adults (Naomi was already 20, her sister turning 24 this year) they argued like juvenile children. God, now I wish _I_ had a sister. For some reason I think of Cheryl, who I hadn't seen in a while. I never knew what was up with her. She was always such a mystery. Oh, and her eyes. I haven't freaked out about her eyes in a while.

We arrive at the Ludibruim airport, Naomi shooting dirty looks at a group of children who run off quickly, vacating a row of uncomfortable looking plastic chairs. We plunk down onto the seats, using up five of them just for our bags. Already jet lagged people shoot us dirty looks but Naomi just shrugs and laughs it off.

I stare ahead, leaning back in my chair. Even though it was only a weekday, the airport was pretty full. Someone accidentally trips over my feet and stumbles forward without glancing backwards.

"Oops, sorry!" I apologize but she just walks on. She had slightly curly hair not unlike my own and was wearing a familiar looking strapless lacey dress that had an especially tight looking bodice.

"Freak," Naomi snickers.

_Cheryl._

"Wait! You!" I yell, getting up from my seat.

"And you say I'm easily annoyed," I hear Naomi whisper to Miranda but I just ignore the comment and run after her..

I shove through the thick crowd, eyes darting around frantically trying to find her.

"Watch it!" Some burly old man yells and I just mumble a quick 'sorry' before running off. I push my way into the girls' restroom and grab her by the arm before she runs off again.

"Cheryl!" I say in between pants. Her back was to me and I could smell the lingering smell of her perfume radiating from herself, mixed in with the bleach and other dodgy cleaning stuff from the toilets.

The girl, a few inches taller than me thanks to her kitten heels, turns around hesitantly. She looks exactly like me, other than the eyes, and her lips were Cherry Red. She was undeniably Cheryl. She shakes my hand off her arm gruffly and throws me a confused expression.

"Who are _you_?"


	19. Final

**A/N: Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Stay safe and stay happy!**

**Chapter 19: C.H.E.R.Y.L.**

* * *

><p>I blink, she blinks, and we both blink in unison. I open my mouth, but close it abruptly once she opened her mouth too.<p>

"I-I'm Shirley." I say finally. "As in, past you?"

She gives me another confused, shocked look. She glances in the direction of one of the bathroom mirrors and I follow her gaze. Even though the mirror was cloudy and needed cleaning we could both see each other's reflections perfectly. Our cheeks were both round, our eyes both wide with awe (although hers was aqua and rimmed with eyeliner), our noses both slightly curved and rounded at the tip.

The girl, presumably Cheryl, stifles a scream. "P-Past me?! What the hell?"

"Don't you remember? You've been stalking me for the past few months." I explain slowly. She didn't seem like she understood me so I raise my voice. "Shirley? Shirley Fox. I'm you, you're me. Kinda."

She started hyperventilating. "N-No, you're wrong! You're mistaking me for someone else. I'm not…I'm not who you think I am."

I raise my eyebrows. "Are you serious? Do you seriously want me to believe you just…You're not Cheryl?"

We lock eyes for a moment and I feel a chill go down my spine.

"Stop calling me that!" She yells. "My name is Shirley."

Someone comes into the restroom, throwing open the door noisily. "Shirs? We have to board the train soon. You coming?"

"Miranda. Just give me a minute." I lie. She supposedly doesn't notice the girl looking almost exactly like me standing a few feet away from her.

"Kay…Don't take too long."

The door closes and I turn back to my twin.

"What year is this?" She suddenly asks.

"2012, why?"

She swallows. "Look, I'm not this 'Cheryl' you're talking about. I'm basically just a part of her. Understand? I don't belong to this time."

"What?" I blurt.

She takes a deep breath in and steadies herself against the row of sinks. It seemed like it was hard for her just to breath. "You touched me just now, didn't you? Oh, God. That wasn't supposed to happen."

"I don't understand. What are you talking about? You are Cheryl, aren't you?" I ask as evenly as I can but there was still a shred of uncertainty in my voice that I hope she didn't hear.

She started panting loudly. "M-My na-name is Shirley!" She exclaims. "I…I'm not…I'm not the Cheryl you're looking for, okay? Just leave me alone."

She tries to walk pass me but I grab her by her wrist again. Her skin was so icy cold that I flinch away.

"You're lying. I can tell."

She turns around again, her breathing starting to even out. "Excuse me?"

"You're lying! I know, because you're me." I say confidently. "When I'm nervous I start gasping for air, I stammer and my hands get cold. Now tell me the truth."

The girl in front of me gives me a meaningful look and her expression softens a tad. "I'm only Stage 2. I'm incomplete." She whispers.

"Could you just give me the full explanation? You of all people should know I don't understand." I ask, growing slightly impatient.

She shakes her head. "Aren't you supposed to be heading to Orbis 'bout now?"

I glance at the door. They were probably waiting for me. I turn back to the Shirley in front of me and sigh. This was going to get complicated.

"Come with me."

* * *

><p>Naomi eyes Older Shirley through her thick mascara coated lashes and crosses her legs in her seat. Her older sister - the one with more social graces - Miranda Grayson, had her reading spectacles on, and was scanning through a thick book on magic spells she complied. She was trying to understand how there was a twin of me sitting awkwardly next to her.<p>

"What the shit _are_ you?!" Naomi blurts out.

"I'm a Cheryl." She says carefully.

"A what?"

"A Cheryl. Codename Cheryl, as in C.H.E.R.Y.L, which stands for Controlled Hegemony Echelon Response group, Yeoman to the Law-enforcement team."

I raise my eyebrows. "Yeoman?"

"Hey, wasn't my idea. It was yours, actually." She says drily.

"Okay, I don't understand what the hell is going on here." Naomi snaps.

"Neither do I." Miranda pipes up.

"You guys can see me?"

Naomi huffs. "Of course, bitch."

"Naomi, mind your tone."

"Shut up, sis. I'm the damn guild master and you know damn well I could whoop your ass right now."

"Naomi,"

"_Yes?_"

I clear my throat and Naomi and Miranda glares at me. I exchange a look with Older Shirley.

"Basically, I'm a droid. A Stage 2 one, to be exact." She explains. "I was sent from the future to observe, uhm, research I mean, the current guild Ariel."

"Stage 2?" I ask.

"Well, there are basically four stages," She holds up four fingers. "Stage 1 is what we call 'Shadows', because they literally just lurk around in the shadows and have close to zero interaction capabilities, and are used for determining the state of the subject. They are actually used quite often."

I nod. "Like that creepy thing from Orbis Tower."

Naomi's jaw drops slightly. "What…What the F-"

"Continue," Her sister interrupts.

"Stage 2 droids takes the form of…well, you." She continues, pointing a wary finger at me. "Years from now, you three actually create the C.H.E.R.Y.L. system, and sixteen year old Shirley Fox models the droids after herself."

"_I_ created them?!" I accidentally yell.

Naomi takes the opportunity to punch me in the arm. "C.H.E.R.Y.L. has to be like the worst freaking acronym ever. Thanks a lot, Shirs." She snarls.

Miranda clears her throat loudly. "So what you're saying is that," She starts in a hysterical voice. "You're some kind of 'droid' from the future which we created?!"

Older Shirley shook her head. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's true." She raised a hand, which seemed suddenly translucent. "I'm going to get deleted soon, because Stage 2 droids aren't allowed to touch subjects directly."

"Wait, you haven't explained about Stage 2 to 4 yet. And why we…why we created you and the system!"

She gives me a sad smile. "I'm sorry…I can't explain right now. You'll have to figure it out yourself." She says, standing up from her seat and brushing imaginary dust off her skirt. "Just know that…Summoning 'us' isn't that hard. We are always watching, always helping, even if you don't see us."

I nod slowly, trying to process what was happening. She was slowly fading away, being 'deleted', and soon she'd be nothing at all.

I try to grab her wrist again but I just go through her.

"Bye, Shirley." She whispers as she disappears completely. The words seem to echo around me.

"_We are always watching, always helping, even if you don't see us."_

"Shirley…You have a load of explaining to do." Miranda murmurs, still in a daze from watching Older Shirley fade away.

I open my mouth but decide to close it at the last moment. The train, which only passengers were the three (three and a half?) of us, comes to a slow stop and I stand up and start dragging my suitcase.

"Let's just…go."

* * *

><p>We sit in silence in the taxi, Naomi's left foot jingling around like crazy in its red stiletto. She starts tapping a long fingernail against her phone, and I could almost see smoke sprouting out of her ears.<p>

I had promised that I would explain the whole Cheryl thing once we got back to Ariel, and so far no one has brought it up yet. Thank God. I'm just wishing they forget it.

Naomi's phone starts ringing – the ringtone being her favorite trashy clash-y nu metal song – startling Miranda who was engrossed in another brown file.

(We were scheduled for another mission a couple days from now, and she and Naomi were apparently booked for the rest of the week because they had to fix the leaking roof in the dining hall, not to mention the meetings with potential sponsors. In a nutshell, we apparently have money problems. Naomi suggested robbing a bank, Miranda suggested imposing reasonable tax rates among guild members – you can guess whose idea was approved.

And no, I'm not the only one who feels Miranda would be a more suitable guild master.)

"Yes?" Naomi barks into the phone. She pauses for a few seconds before swearing under her breath. "What the hell did I tell you…No, you do not touch the freaking furnace. I don't care that everyone in the dorms are freezing cold! Tell them not to be such pussies. Heat costs money! Luke – Fine, _Uncle_ Luke. I swear to God, if I get back there and see someone touching the goddamn radiators, I'll be slitting someone's thro – Yes, I'm v_ery _serious. Please get Hannah to send up the meals now."

She hangs up abruptly and huffs, punching in more numbers into the phone. Miranda raises her eyebrows slightly before going back to her paperwork.

Even though Naomi was a lot more…abrasive, you had to admit she got the job done. She was probably the most no nonsense (other than her own nonsense, of course) person I knew.

The taxi comes to an abrupt stop and Naomi just storms out, phone plastered to the side of her face and Miranda follows in tow without looking up from her book. They grab all the suitcases and wait for me outside.

I sigh and turn towards the driver, whose hand was extended out expectantly. I rummage through my bag and hand him a few short stacks of dollar bills and run for it before he can ask me why I've only paid him a few hundred mesos.

As Miranda puts it, 'money problems'.

A breeze of wind blows, whipping my hair again. Leafre was pretty cold this time of year and as always, I was a little underdressed. A little.

We walk up to the wrought iron gates and the guild building itself overlooks us in all its glory and slightly chipped pink walls. Behind the gates, a guard lolls forward in his sleep in his little guard house.

"It's locked." I say, pointing out the obvious. The gates were all motorized now and were activated by switches.

Naomi whips a few Ilbi stars out and throws them at him between the bars of the gate, breaking the glass of the window and nearly hitting him. He just continues sleeping.

"Goddammit. He's getting fired next." She mumbles under her breath and Flash Jumps over the gate.

"Are we…Are we allowed to do that?" I yell from the other side.

Naomi shrugs, throwing a bag over her shoulder before jumping right up to the entrance and walking in.

I glance at Miranda and she's still reading. Useless.

I had to admit I wasn't very confident with my Flash Jumping. Even though I've technically already mastered it I haven't exactly…applied it very well. Last time I tried, I was alone, and I landed on my face.

I run a hand along the bars and it freezing cold and slippery. I wasn't very good at climbing either.

I turn towards Miranda again and she's finally stuffing her files into her tote bag and acknowledging the problem.

"Follow me," She grins, grabbing me by the wrist and leading me towards an unruly looking bush next to the gate, in front of the reinforced brick walls. She shoves the small of my back and I fall in.

At first it was all darkness but I blink again and find myself in the guild's conference room.

"Woah," I breathe, struggling to my feet and pulling my bag closer to me.

Miranda emerges shortly after. "Awesome, right?" She says chirpily.

I nod slowly. The room was just how we left it, wood stools around a giant table.

"How did that work?" I ask, trying to push the doors open. It was locked. "And how are we gonna get out of here?"

She dangles a bunch of keys in front of my nose. "I may not have all these fancy skills that Naomi does, but I do have some of my own resources. This place is filled of portals, like that one outside. No one knows except me and my sister. And you now, I suppose. We used to sneak in at night as kids."

I wave her goodbye and walk over to the block of dorm buildings. I trudge up to the room, still limping slightly from the burns. The whole place seemed eerily quiet, almost deserted.

I shove the key to my room into the keyhole and open the door.

"You're late,"

Cheryl – or at least, one of the Cheryl's – was draped over my bed, acting like she was Rose from freaking Titanic or something.

I open my mouth and close it like a goldfish. "C-Cheryl?"

"Well, duh." She said, sitting up and crossing her legs. She was wearing a silk nightgown even though it was only dinner time.

Stage 1, Shadow. Stage 2, Droids.

"What stage are you?" I blurt.

"…What?"

"What. Stage. Are. You." I repeat, leaving the bag by the opened door and walking slowly towards her. "Stage 2? 3?"

She looked surprised and confused at the same time.

"Who…Who told you about that?" She asks, her voice sounding tense again.

"You did." I answer automatically. "Stage 2 you, before she got deleted."

I heard her swear under her breath.

"You weren't supposed to know." She says eventually, standing up from the bed. "I'm sorry…But I'll have to delete you now."

"W-What?!" I exclaim. "Delete…Delete me?"

She nods and smiles sadly and stands up, grabbing me by the shoulder. Her touch was icy cold.

I feel my heart in my throat. Fear and anxiety well up in me. She must be joking, right? I turn my head slightly. The door's still open. If only I could…If only I could run…

"I'm sorry, Shirs." She whispers, placing her right thumb on my forehead and pulling it down to my nose bridge.

"**C-CHERYL?!"**

I feel the floor quake and everything - the cream walls, my purple bed, the slightly dusty floors – starts to disperse. The world goes white for a second before fading to shades of gray and black. It was completely silent, and my heart starts pounding even harder in my chest. My throat constricts and for some reason I feel like I can't breathe anymore.

I try to move around but I feel like I'm stuck in place, just floating in an endless sky of black. I open my mouth to scream but my lips feel too heavy to move.

My eyelids grow heavy too and even though I fight hard to blink myself awake I start fading away.

_Cheryl…_

* * *

><p><strong>Info: This is the last chapter of Ariel, everyone! I just thought it's been dragged on for too long. I'll be doing a prequel next, hopefully a more well written one, about Arraine Grayson. After that I might continue this, not really sure. Thanks for reading all this way. :')<strong>

**Till next time.**


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